Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker
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Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said Friday that quarterback Carson Palmer will not start Sunday against the New York Jets because of complications with his right elbow. This is the second time in three games Palmer will miss a start.
Backup signal caller Ryan Fitzpatrick will take Palmer's place in the lineup. But Lewis hasn't ruled out the possibility of Palmer playing at some point Sunday as a No. 2 quarterback.
And this is where the problem resides for the Bengals.
Whether it takes two weeks, a month or more, Palmer needs to sit long term until his throwing arm feels 100 percent. His elbow injury thus far has been treated on a week-to-week basis and it shouldn't be.
Palmer is the present and future of the Bengals' franchise. Cincinnati is 0-5--likely 0-6 now with a backup quarterback playing on the road--so continuing to play this cat-and-mouse game with Palmer doesn't make much sense.
Palmer is a gamer, so he will not take himself out of the lineup. He admittedly trudged himself on the field last week against the Dallas Cowboys despite not being confident in the health of his arm to make all the necessary throws.
Although the severity of Palmer's condition is unknown, we do know that he's not healthy enough to start in Sunday's game. That's the same position Palmer and the team were in two weeks ago.
If the Bengals think about playing Palmer on Sunday, or any time in the near future, Cincinnati is making a mistake.
The Bengals are not only risking Palmer's long-term future, but the long-term future of the organization as well.
Walker joined ESPN.com in 2008 after three seasons covering the Cleveland Browns for the Columbus Dispatch. He also covered the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Cavaliers at the Dispatch. Walker grew up in Hyattsville, Md., before attending Temple University, graduating in 2001 with a B.A. in communications and mass media. He resides in the Cleveland area.
