CINCINNATI -- The Bengals are expected to be without one of their top defensive players.
Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie is believed to have suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in Monday's loss to the Cleveland Browns, a source confirmed to ESPN. Awuzie went down in the second quarter of the 32-13 loss at Cleveland and left the locker room using crutches, with a black protective brace on his right leg.
On Tuesday afternoon, Awuzie sent out a tweet that said "peace & love" and that "it's part of the game."
The news was first reported by NFL Network.
Immediately after he went down on the field at Cleveland's FirstEnergy Stadium, he clutched at his right leg before eventually going into the team's medical tent. Several teammates and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo visited with him before he was carted back to the locker room.
He was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game. In his postgame news conference, Bengals coach Zac Taylor indicated the injury was serious.
Awuzie has been one of the Bengals' top players since signing a three-year deal worth around $22 million during 2021 free agency. He has started 21 games in the last two years and emerged as the team's No. 1 cornerback.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Awuzie was fourth among all qualifying cornerbacks in completion percentage below expectation at -13.9%.
Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard was among those who praised Awuzie in the wake of Monday's injury.
"He's one of the most reliable teammates I've ever played with," Hubbard said. "Not much to say other than he means a lot to this team."