Rodney Anderson appeared to be on his way toward a promising rookie season, but the Cincinnati Bengals running back can't catch a break. During the Bengals' final preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, Anderson left the game with a right knee injury, and it appears to be a worst-case scenario.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports Anderson tore his ACL, which would end his season just days before the rookie was set to make his NFL debut. Anderson was receiving first-team reps with the Bengals during the preseason, splitting time with Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard.
A sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft, Anderson tore the ACL in his right knee last season, his final year at Oklahoma. This was Anderson's second game of the preseason, just a few weeks after he cleared to practice from the ACL injury he suffered for the Sooners last September.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor had high hopes for Anderson after he reeled in four catches for 51 yards in the team's third preseason game.
"He's a tough runner who's hard to take down on first contact," Taylor said to reporters last week, via Bengals.com. "So those are the things that show when he got put out in space, one on one with somebody -- good luck to you, especially if you're a skill guy on defense. Those are the things he showed on his college tape, and he proved it today. It was hard for us to get a feel for it, because he hasn't had many padded practices. These are the traits we expected to see from Rodney, and he showed some of that today."
Anderson's injury opens up a spot for fellow sixth-round rookie Trayveon Williams, who led the SEC in rushing with 1,760 yards last season, while also adding 18 touchdowns.
Anderson was one of the most explosive backs in the college ranks during the 2017 season, one which he averaged 6.2 yards per carry when he had 188 carries for 1,161 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also had 17 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games. In addition to the torn ACL at Oklahoma, Anderson suffered a fractured vertebrae in his neck in 2016 and a broken leg suffered on a kickoff in 2015.
The injury bug continues to bite Anderson, who will have to go through another year of vigorous rehab.