NFL Rumors: William Jackson tears pectoral muscle

The Cincinnati Bengals suffer a devastating blow at NFL training camp Tuesday, as first-round pick cornerback William Jackson has tore his pectoral muscle.

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According to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Cincinnati Bengals 2016 first-round draft pick William Jackson has torn his pectoral muscle. This will likely mean that his rookie campaign out of the University of Houston will come to an end before it really even begins.

In an NFL Draft chock full of great defensive back players in the first round, Jackson was the premier cornerback coming out of a mid-major program in the 2016 NFL Draft. His stock continued to rise after Houston’s strong 2015 season that concluded with an upset victory over the ACC’s Florida State Seminoles in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.

Cincinnati used its No. 24 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft on Houston’s standout cornerback. The Bengals should again be in contention for another trip to the AFC Playoffs. They’ll likely contend with their AFC North division rival in the Pittsburgh Steelers for the division crown in 2016.

Interestingly both the Bengals and the Steelers had two young defensive backs suffer devastating injuries on the same day in NFL training camp. While Jackson tore his pectoral muscle, second-year cornerback Senquez Golson suffered a Lisfranc injury and will miss at least 12 weeks for the Steelers.

Cincinnati drafted Jackson to help the Bengals get over their AFC Playoffs hump. The Bengals have made the AFC Playoffs each of the last five seasons, but have failed to win a playoff game at any point during the Marvin Lewis era.

The Bengals need to break through and win a playoff game this winter to avoid any drastic changes to their front office. Losing a potentially strong cover corner in Jackson for the presumably the season doesn’t help the Bengals in the slightest.

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