CINCINNATI — Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick will be placed on the team’s injured reserve list and will be out for the season, coach Zac Taylor said Friday.
Kirkpatrick has not played since he suffered a hyperextended knee during the Bengals’ Week 6 loss at Baltimore. Since the outlook for the cornerback’s potential return was uncertain, the team decided to place Kirkpatrick on IR, Taylor said. Because Kirkpatrick will have to miss a minimum of eight games, the IR designation will effectively end the cornerback’s season.
“It’s tough when you’ve got guys that you’re not quite sure what the long-term diagnosis is going to be and they keep taking a spot,” Taylor said ahead of the Bengals’ Week 11 game at Oakland. “We just felt like it was the best decision and it gives him a chance to get healthy.”
Kirkpatrick started the first six games of the season before he was carted off the field with the knee injury. The Alabama product will finish the season with 33 tackles, four pass deflections, a sack and a fumble recovery.
With the exception of his rookie year in 2012, Kirkpatrick had appeared in at least 13 games each season. He is in the middle of a five-year, $52.5 million deal that expires in 2021.