Bengals hope TE C.J. Uzomah will avoid knee surgery

One of the bigger storylines heading into this past Sunday's Super Bowl LVI matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams was the status of Cincinnati tight end C.J. Uzomah. Uzomah went down with a sprained MCL in his left knee early into the AFC Championship win over the Kansas City Chiefs back on Jan. 30.

The Bengals ultimately ruled Uzomah active for "the biggest game" of his life, but the 29-year-old was held to just two catches for 11 yards in the heartbreaking 23-20 defeat. Head coach Zac Taylor addressed Uzomah's health on Wednesday and suggested the veteran may avoid a future medical procedure even though he returned early from a setback that otherwise could've sidelined him for one to two months. 

"C.J., we’ll get another MRI today, but everything so far has been encouraging," Taylor explained, according to Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "And so that just speaks to his toughness, his character, his willingness to do everything it takes to help get the job done for the team. So hopefully just with some rest, he’ll be back to normal as well." 

Uzomah produced his best pro campaign to date playing alongside second-year quarterback Joe Burrow. He recorded 49 receptions for 493 yards and five touchdowns during regular-season action. Meanwhile, Taylor added that Burrow won't need surgery to repair the MCL sprain he suffered in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl or to fix a lingering pinky injury. 

Also on Wednesday, the Bengals announced Taylor signed a contract extension through the 2026 season.