Cincinnati Bengals RT Amarius Mims Offers Few Details but Says Injury Is Something He Can Fight Through

CINCINNATI – Amarius Mims returned to practice Sunday, but the Cincinnati Bengals right tackle didn’t want to get into specifics about exactly what he’s dealing with on his right hand or how it happened.

“I'm working through it,” Mims said after practice. “It's feeling better. It's about keep believing the coaches and keep believing the training staff. I'm gonna go out there and give it my all every time I'm out there.

“It's something I've got to fight through, and that's what I'm gonna continue to do,” Mims added. “Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve been fighting through something.”

He didn’t finish Sunday’s practice, sitting out the final two drives for the first-team offense as fifth-round rookie Jalen Rivers took his place, but Mims said it was part of a plan and not an indication that he re-aggravated the injury.

 The first sign of an issue came Wednesday when Mims was getting extra tape after an early period of position drills. Then midway through practice, Devin Cochran replaced him at right tackle.

After the practice, offensive line coach Scott Peters said Mims was fine.

“I think he just banged his hand up a little bit. He’ll be all right,” Peters said. “He was working through some different things to adjust his cast.”

The cast is removable soft one.

Mims, who broke his right hand last year but played through it, didn’t practice Thursday or Saturday but returned Sunday while still wearing the cast on his right hand.

Asked how it happened, he was evasive.

“It's a lot of stuff,” Mims said. “I don't even want to go into depth about it. I'm gonna keep on practicing, keep on fighting through it, keep on following the plan. My job is to protect No. 9, so that's what I'm gonna do to the best of my ability.”

Mims did say his goal is to play Thursday in the preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Though it’s just preseason, it would be a positive sign in the eyes of Peters to see his starting right tackle on the field despite the injury.

Peters said after Wednesday’s practice that his message to Mims has been clear:

“We need you with us every game. That’s something that without having all that experience, your cup is bigger than you think. Your capacity is bigger than you think. He knows that. It’s a matter of, ‘Hey, you’ve got to get out there today. You’ve got to press. You’ve got to get better.’ That’s part of being a pro in the NFL. We want him to peak and grind and grow and be present with us on the field. That’s the biggest thing he’s focused on right now.”

Asked about those comments after practice, Mims gave a knowing smile before answering.

“Man, it's a game of physical violence,” he said. “It's a game where you can beat on another man and not go to jail for it. I'm gonna be in pain every day for the rest of my life that I'm playing football. It's just something I've got to fight through for the greater good of the team and just hope that we win that game when I'm hurting.”