Guard Christian Westerman has returned to the Bengals after reportedly considering retirement last week, the club announced today. Cincinnati has removed Westerman from the exempt/left squad list.
The Bengals could ill-afford to lose any more offensive linemen, so Westerman’s return is a welcome turn of events. Cincinnati has already seen two linemen (Clint Boling and Kent Perkins) announce their retirements this offseason, while rookie first-round pick Jonah Williams is expected to miss most (if not all) of the 2019 campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery in June. Cordy Glenn, who shifted back to left tackle after Williams’ injury, is now dealing with a concussion and won’t play again until the regular season.
A fifth-round pick in 2016, Westerman has typically shown flashes of talent when on the field, but he simply hasn’t gotten much opportunity (183 career snaps). The Arizona State product was viewed as the favorite to take over as the Bengals’ left guard earlier this offseason, but he’s now squarely in competition with John Jerry, Trey Hopkins, and rookie Michael Jordan to step in for Boling on the left side.