Trae Waynes is not off to a good start with the Bengals

The former Minnesota Vikings corner could miss the first part of the season.

Heading into this second season as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, Mike Zimmer turned to the 2015 NFL Draft to find a talented cornerback who could take the team’s pass defense to the next level.

Zimmer and the Vikings believed Trae Waynes was that guy, so they used the 11th pick in the 2015 draft to add the former Michigan State corner to their roster.

After five solid seasons with Minnesota, Waynes left the team this year and ended up signing a lucrative contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. His new team has big expectations for the veteran corner, but they might have to wait a little longer before they get to see him out on the field.

Former Minnesota Vikings cornerback could miss two months

On Tuesday, it was revealed that Waynes could potentially be out for the next two months because of a possible injury to his pectoral muscle according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.

If this is the case, the former Minnesota cornerback might miss the first four games of the upcoming season. So the Bengals may not get to see Waynes suit up for them until their Week 5 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on October 11.

It’s definitely not how the former Vikings corner envisioned his tenure outside of the Twin Cities beginning. Waynes never missed more than two games in his five years with Minnesota, so potentially being out of action for two months is not something he is used to.

For the 2020 season, Waynes was expected to come in and be one Cincinnati’s starting corners. If his injury ends up requiring two months to recover, the Bengals might actually end up turning to another former Vikings corner in Mackensie Alexander to take his spot until he gets back.

Alexander signed a one-year deal with Cincinnati this offseason after being a member of the Minnesota defense since 2016. Primarily a slot corner with the Vikings, maybe this will be his opportunity to shine on the outside if Waynes has to miss a few games.