Shemar

Stewart

Stewart was designated for a return from injured reserve last week and will now take the field against the Dolphins this weekend. The rookie pass-rusher has totaled just six tackles in the five games he’s appeared in this season and is still in search of his first career sack. In addition to Stewart, Taylor also said DT B.J. Hill (ankle) will be available to play in Week 16.

Stewart will return to practice this week. The Bengals now have 21 days to activate him from injured reserve. The first-round rookie hasn’t played much this year because of ankle and knee injuries. He has six combined tackles and eight pressures in five appearances so far.

Stewart missed multiple games with an ankle injury and is now set to miss at least the next four games due to a knee injury. The 22-year-old defensive end will miss most of his rookie season due to injury and his play wasn’t anything to write home about when he was actually on the field. His 36.9 overall PFF grade was dead last among 114 defensive ends.

It remains to be seen when Hendrickson will play again, as he did not practice all week. Shemar Stewart (knee) also remains out with a long-term injury. Pittsburgh’s offense should be able to get back on track against one of the NFL’s weakest defenses this week.

Following a decleating fourth-and-1 piledriver by Darnell Wright and being sealed off several times by wideout Olamide Zaccheaus, we wouldn’t have been surprised if Stewart saw his playing time reduced naturally. Playing through an injury could help explain how poor he looked in Week 9. Stewart has missed most of his rookie season with injury and has a startling 36.9 PFF defensive grade in 177 defensive snaps.

Hendrickson is sidelined by a hip injury, though the Bengals fortunately get EDGE Shemar Stewart (ankle) back after a four-game absence. Taylor-Britt has evidently been benched in favor of CB Josh Newton this week. The Bengals’ offense lost two tight ends last week, with Hudson suffering a concussion and Mike Gesicki suffering a pectoral injury that landed him on injured reserve this week. Bengals TE Noah Fant is suddenly on the streaming TE1 radar as a result.

Hendrickson did not practice once this week before receiving the questionable designation. That makes it rather unlikely he suits up for Thursday’s game, though it’s possible he was getting as much rest as possible before attempting to suit up. His snaps will be limited at best, though Hendrickson is the type of player who can do a lot of damage on just a few reps. The good news is that fellow Cincy EDGE Shemar Stewart has been cleared for action. He has been out since Week 2 with an ankle injury.

Stewart hasn’t played since Week 2, but a full practice designation on Monday is a good indication he’ll be suiting up on Thursday night against the Steelers. The rookie first-rounder has totaled just two tackles in the two games he’s appeared in this season, and could see a fairly significant role if Trey Hendrickson (back) is unable to go.

Chase was seen warming up earlier today and evidently made it through the session without issue. He remains firmly in the elite WR1 tier, having finished as the overall WR1 last week despite catching passes from fill-in starter QB Jake Browning. The Bengals traded for former Browns QB Joe Flacco this week, who, with any luck, will help stabilize the Bengals’ offense overall. The Bengals declared CB Marco Wilson, OG Dylan Fairchild, WR Jermaine Burton, TE Cam Grandy, DT Jordan Jefferson and EDGE Shemar Stewart inactive for Week 6 against the Packers

Stewart had gotten in limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday, so it’s possible he dealt with a setback. It’s also possible he just wasn’t ready. The rookie hasn’t played since Week 2 and is now at “a standard IR stint” level of missed games assuming the doubtful listing holds.