Antonio Bryant's knee might be worse than the Bengals are letting on.

by Jared Smola

While the eyes of Fantasy Nation are on Terrell Owens as he closes in on a home for the 2010 season, I can’t stop thinking about Antonio Bryant’s knee.

I’ve always had a thing for Bryant.  He’s an absolute beast on the field – speed, hops, and incredible hands.  I’m sure no one’s forgotten about this catch. 

But durability problems – specifically a bad left knee – have really derailed his career.  Since being drafted by the Cowboys in 2002, Bryant has missed 22 games in 8 seasons.

But that didn’t stop the Bengals from passing on Terrell Owens and signing Bryant to a 4-year, $28 million contract this offseason.  At just 29 years old, Cincinnati saw more upside in Bryant than the 36-year-old Owens.

Bryant hasn’t done anything to make the Bengals feel good about that decision though.  That left knee has continued to give him trouble this offseason.  He spent quite a bit of time “resting” on the sidelines during OTAs. 

The Bengals never really updated his status, but I think the fact that they’re interested in Owens is a good sign they’re worried about Bryant’s health.

“I’d like to have him on our side of the ball compared to the other side,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said of Owens. “He can change field position. He makes big plays.”

Brown was singing a different tune a few months ago.  The franchise clearly prefers Bryant over Owens – they had their pick of the two back in March and chose Bryant.  They’re essentially hedging their bet by going after Owens at this point in the year.

Why else would they be interested?  They’re set at #3 WR with Jordan Shipley and Andre Caldwell.  Adding T.O. into the mix with Bryant and Ochocinco would just stunt the growth of those young guys.

I think the Bengals aren’t sure Bryant will be healthy enough for Week 1.  And they’re probably convinced he won’t make it through a full 16-game season.

We moved Bryant down our fantasy football rankings a few spots on Sunday.  If Owens lands in Cincinnati, Bryant will go into a full free-fall.

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