Riley

Reiff

It’s the second straight missed game for Reiff since returning from IR. Reiff backed up in the only game he appeared in, playing 83% of snaps in Week 5. Vederian Lowe will continue to start at right tackle for the Patriots.

Reiff suffered his injury in the Patriots’ final preseason tune up against the Titans, and will now miss at least the next four games. The veteran lineman is expected to start as the Patriots’ right tackle this season, after signing a one-year, $5 million contract last March. Tyrone Wheatley Jr. is listed as the backup to Reiff, and could be in line for the team’s Week 1 start against a vaunted Eagles defense.

Reiff will join a New England offensive line graded by Pro Football Focus as one of the league’s best in 2022 despite the offense’s complete collapse under defensive-coordinator-turned-offensive-coordinator Matt Patricia. Reiff in 2023 enters his 12th NFL season after two years in Chicago, where he started 22 games. PFF graded Reiff as the 36th best tackle out of 56 qualifying players in 2022.

Larry Borom replaced Reiff at right tackle. The 33-year-old fill-in tackle has put up a respectable 66.8 PFF blocking rating through his first 285 snaps of the season. The Bears don’t exactly need him to play down the stretch as they evaluate their younger linemen in a lost season.

Reiff played on the right side for the Bengals last year, but he has a lot of experience at left tackle as well. The Bears do not have any better options, so that is likely where he will end up. Sophomores Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom should battle it out for the right tackle job.

Reiff suffered a late-season ankle injury in 2021 and missed the Bengals’ postseason run. He’s reportedly recovered from the injury and should start for the Bears as one of the league’s most consistent run blockers. A health Reiff should be a positive development for David Montgomery, who in 2021 ran behind the tenth worst run-blocking unit in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus grades.

The Jets have some question marks at tackle with both George Fant and Mekhi Becton missing much of OTAs. Reiff, who has started for several years, would make a decent backup plan. And given how shaky New York’s confidence in Becton appeared to be last season, it makes sense for them to invest in a good backup at the position. Reiff has not been connected to any other teams in free agency so far.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Friday that Reiff is done for the season, though it’s not clear if that’s due to COVID-19 or the ankle injury that has sidelined him in recent weeks. It’s a significant development for a Bengals offense that has struggled to keep Joe Burrow clean in the pocket. A star run blocker, Reiff’s absence is also bad news for Joe Mixon.

He will be joined by CB Chidobe Awuzie, who has been having a huge year in the Bengals’ secondary. Reiff had been expected to return from his ankle injury this week. His continued absence is bad news for a quarterback in Joe Burrow taking far too many sacks in recent weeks. Hopefully Reiff will be ready for Week 16 vs. the blitzing Ravens.

Reiff did not practice last week despite Bengals coach Zac Taylor saying he expected Reiff to return by Friday. He also noted that the team would be smart with Reiff’s injury so it’s likely that they chose to give him the week off to heal and reduce the risk of his injury getting worse. Reiff should be active for the Bengals Week 14 game against the 49ers, giving the run-game a slight boost.