The Bengals received a boost up front last week when three other defensive linemen returned from injuries. Defensive tackle B.J. Hill returned from the hamstring injury that caused him to miss two games, and defensive end Myles Murphy and defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson made their season debuts Sunday after opening the season on the injured reserve list.
B.J. Hill and Murphy play significant roles in the defense, and Rankins is the last big missing piece that could help get the pass rush going.
“We’ll work him in this week and see where he’s at,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.
In a week when Cincinnati is dealing with the loss of cornerback Dax Hill to a season-ending knee injury, Hilton’s return would be especially welcomed. Hill played in the slot last week, but that role fell on practice squad callup Jalen Davis when Hill exited in the first quarter. Taylor said Hilton is “trending in the right direction.”
The Bengals on Wednesday cleared second-year cornerback DJ Ivey to return to practice. He was placed on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list Aug. 27 with a knee injury that happened in December, and the Bengals now have opened a 21-day window during which he can practice with the team without counting against the 53-man active roster.
“Just see where he’s at,” Taylor said. “It (happened) last December, so he’s looked really good on the rehab field. Obviously, he wasn’t able to come up those first four weeks, and so it made sense now to get him up with the injury to Dax, and we’ll just see where he’s at. But everything’s been really good in the rehab phase of things, so we’ll just take a look at him.”
Running back Zack Moss, who injured his ankle late in the game Sunday, was not practicing Wednesday, but right tackle Amarius Mims participated during the media viewing time. Mims also suffered an ankle injury Sunday but returned to the game, and Taylor said he was just “sore” but was expected to play this week.
Cincinnati officially placed Hill and offensive lineman Jaxson Kirkland on the Reserve/Injured list Tuesday. Kirkland, a first-year player, suffered a biceps injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game.
To replace Kirkland, the Bengals signed offensive tackle Andrew Stueber to the active roster off Atlanta’s practice squad. Originally a seventh-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 2022, the former University of Michigan lineman spent most of his rookie season on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list, then was on the Patriots’ practice squad for the 2023 season before joining the Falcons this year.
The Bengals also signed cornerback Micah Abraham, a rookie sixth-round pick of the Colts, to the practice squad. Abraham, who played at Marshall University, was waived by the Colts during final cuts and was not with an NFL team during the first five weeks of the regular season.
SUNDAY’S GAME
Bengals at Giants, 8:20 p.m., NBC, 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
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