Report: Bengals first-round pick William Jackson suffers torn pectoral

With the NFL season right around the corner, teams are trying to strike the right balance between preparing players for 16 games of grueling competition and making sure they stay healthy.

Even then, a team can't control everything. Injuries are going to happen. And unfortunately for the Cincinnati Bengals, a torn pectoral muscle could reportedly cost first-round pick William Jackson III most of this season, as first reported by NFL Network's Mike Garafalo:

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The Bengals weren't expecting to rely on the 24th overall pick this season, with Adam Jones and Dre Kilpatrick likely ahead of the rookie on Cincinnati's depth chart and Darqueze Dennard available to fill the gap as a third corner.

Similar injuries have cost NFL players anywhere between three and six months in the past, depending on the severity of the injury. Jackson had looked forward to making a "statement" at training camp; the cornerback tallied 43 tackles, five interceptions and 23 passes defensed at the University of Houston in 2015.