Trae Waynes will be out for a while. The Bengals cornerback underwent surgery for a torn pectoral muscle and his recovery will extend into a “sizable portion” of the season, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Waynes has a “chance” to return before the season is through, according to the NFL.com duo, an indication that he’ll be out for months, rather than just a few weeks. That’s the standard for pectoral surgery, though some players have recovered faster than others. J.J. Watt, for example, managed to return for the final stretch of the Texans’ 2019 campaign.
The Bengals signed Waynes to a three-year, $42MM deal earlier this year, one that pays $20MM in Year One. The two sides didn’t necessarily get off on the right foot, however. The Bengals refused to allow Waynes to take an off-site physical, which kept his $15MM signing bonus and training plan in limbo.
After making Waynes one of the NFL’s highest-paid cornerbacks, they’ll have to forge ahead without him for the time being. The Bengals also moved on from former first-rounders Darqueze Dennard and Dre Kirkpatrick, putting more of the onus on players like former fifth-round pick Darius Phillips. For what it’s worth, veteran defensive back Logan Ryan is still available for hire, though he would prefer to play safety.
I still believe this was an overpay. Nonetheless, this will only hurt the Bengals to a minimal degree. They lose a respectable secondary outside corner in Wayne’s, but they have Darius Phillips and LeShaun Sims to take his snaps. Alexander is still reliable in the slot and Jackson has flashed major talent in the past.
Furthermore, the Bengals don’t figure to be uber-competitive in 2020 anyway, so it’s not too big of a blow
I lack to see how they don’t project to be a competitive team. Their off-season was spent gathering a lot of high profile players. (Reader, Waynes, Burrow, Higgins, Alexsander, Mike Daniels) Jonah Williams and AJ Green return from injury.
They have a super dynamic offensive core in Mixon, Gio, Green, Boyd, Higgins, & Ross.
Really, this season for them relies on Burrow’s success. Which after a record breaking collegiate season, in a pro style offense, could be highly possible.
The problem for me is that offensive line, which is abysmal. Williams has a chance to be a game-changer, but he still needs to recover from a torn ACL and this is his first experience against NFL-caliber talent. Trey Hopkins is adequate, but the remaining pieces are subpar at best. This could be detrimental to Burrow’s performance regardless of how well he plays.
Cincy also plays in arguably the toughest division in football and the lack of a preseason will prevent a team with a ton of turnover from ramping up to game action and gaining chemistry. I believe the Bengals will be intimidating in the future, but I only anticipate eight wins at best for 2020