Bengals star wideout A.J. Green is expected to miss multiple regular season games, after having ankle surgery. The surgery is to clean out his sprained right ankle, which he injured in practice. The NFL is known to having a next man up mentality, when it comes to injuries.
As expected the Bengals will start young and promising, Tyler Boyd and John Ross III. But what was not expected is Damion Willis, who will start in the X, replacing Green for the first few weeks. You might not recognize that name and that is very understandable.
Willis, a graduate of Troy University, is an undrafted free agent for the Bengals this year. Also while attending East Mississippi Community College, before Troy, was on the hit Netflix Docuseries, “Last Chance U”. You might be thinking, I love that show and I have never heard of him. That makes sense, because out of the mouth of Willis himself, “They came in the midst of fall camp. It was pretty good. I wasn’t like a star or nothing in it. You’d just see me walking in the background, see me walking to class or see me at practice or just catching the ball in the game. It was nothing like I was talking.”
Although the show is not known to produce NFL prospects, Willis is destined to prove people wrong. It is not very common for a rookie UDFA to start week one and Damion has certainly earned the opportunity. Through 3 preseason games Willis has turned 14 targets into 9 Receptions, 118 yards, and a touchdown.
Though it doesn’t happen very often, successful UDFA’s do surprise in the league. Recent examples such as Doug Baldwin, Tony Romo, Phillip Lindsey, Adam Thielen, and Wes Welker have showed this. The common trend is that the wideouts have the best potential to break out.
I think Willis is in a great situation, where the defense will focus on Boyd and Ross and forget about the rookie. He can go up and get the ball on 1-1 coverage, and is a major deep threat. When Green comes back Damion will continue to be a Mike Evans type, who can get above the secondary. He has already shown it in Week 3 of the preseason with an amazing catch, against the pro bowler, Jenoris Jenkins. Damion Willis will be a household name before you know it. You heard it here folks.
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