Bengals' William Jackson III: Fully expected to return for spring works

Jackson (pectoral) is expected to be full-go for spring workouts, Cincinnati.com reports.

Analysis:

Jackson lost his rookie season to a pectoral tear suffered in practice last August but appears to have recovered nicely. In fact, the Bengals had plans to activate the cornerback from injured reserve before RB Giovani Bernard (knee - ACL) went down in November, prompting the team to change course and use its sole 'Designated for Return' tag on RB Cedric Peerman instead. Since Jackson had come this close to playing, it appears he could already be fully healthy. Thus, it comes as little surprise that he's expected back for spring workouts in April. With No. 1 CB Dre Kirkpatrick an unrestricted free agent and starting complement Adam Jones potentially facing legal discipline, those sessions could be the starting point for Jackson's quest to claim a first-string role in 2017.