Bengals’ Jonah Williams Unlikely To Play
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor says he does not expect first-round pick Jonah Williams to play this season (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Ben Baby). The team will monitor the tackle over the next few weeks, but there’s little sense in rushing him back on to the field in a lost season. 
[RELATED: Bengals Activate John Ross]
Williams was slotted to start at left tackle before suffering a left shoulder injury. Unfortunately, Williams was just one of several banged up Bengals this season, putting a major damper on Taylor’s first year.
Still, the future is bright for Williams, who was on track to be a Top 10 pick before the Giants shocked the world by taking Duke quarterback Daniel Jones at No. 6 overall. The early shakeup led to the Jaguars taking Kentucky edge rusher Josh Allen at No. 7, which allowed the Lions to opt for Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson at No. 8 instead of Williams. That worked out just fine for the Bengals, who were able to stand pat and land the best tackle in this year’s class.
Next year, they should find out exactly how good Williams is.
Bengals Activate John Ross
The Bengals have their first win and their former first-round wide receiver back in action. On Tuesday, they officially activated wide receiver John Ross off of the injured reserve list. 
Ross has been out since injuring his sternoclavicular joint in Week 4. Last month, they designated him for return, opening up a multi-week practice window. Now that Ross has been brought back within that timeframe, he’ll be eligible to play again in 2019.
Ross, the No. 9 overall pick in 2017, was written off by many as a bust, but showed some signs of life early on this year. Injuries and a lack of trust from Marvin Lewis had plagued Ross’ first two years in Cincy, but he started the season with 16 catches for 328 yards and three touchdowns in four games.
There’s now reason to believe that Ross could blossom into the top-level deep threat the Bengals were hoping for back in 2017. This is, of course, a lost season for the Bengals, but it’s a ripe opportunity for Ross to work his way back from his shoulder injury and cement his place in the team’s plans moving forward.
The Bengals figure to make lots of changes this offseason, but Ross figures to be an integral part of the offense in 2020. He remains under his rookie deal, which runs through 2020. He’ll carry a $5.45MM cap number in his final year, but the Bengals can add a fifth season via his rookie option.
To make room for Ross, the team waived rookie wide receiver Damion Willis for the second time this year.
Current 2020 NFL Draft Order
With 13 full weeks of the NFL season in the books, the 2020 draft order is beginning to take shape. Here’s the rundown of where things would stand if the 2019 season ended today:
1. Bengals: 1-11
2. Giants: 2-10
3. Redskins: 3-9
4. Dolphins: 3-9
5. Falcons: 3-9
6. Lions: 3-8-1
7. Cardinals: 3-8-1
8. Jaguars: 4-8
9. Jets: 4-8
10. Chargers: 4-8
11. Broncos 4-8
12. Eagles 5-7
13. Buccaneers 5-7
T-14. Panthers 5-7
T-14. Browns
16. Raiders 6-6
17. Colts 6-6
18. Raiders (via Bears) 6-6
19. Titans 7-5
20. Jaguars (via Rams) 7-5
21. Cowboys 6-6
22. Dolphins (via Steelers) 7-5
23. Vikings 8-4
24. Chiefs 8-4
25. Dolphins (via Texans) 8-4
26. Bills 9-3
27. Packers 9-3
28. Saints 10-2
29. Patriots 10-2
30. 49ers 10-2
31. Ravens 10-2
32. Seahawks 10-2
Green Says Ankle Improving, Still No Timetable
- Some slight positive news to pass along in the continuing A.J. Green watch, as the Bengals receiver said “everything’s trending up” with his troublesome ankle, per Ben Baby of ESPN.com. The talented wideout still didn’t give any concrete timetable for a return, saying “when my ankle feels good enough to play, then I’ll play.” Green returned to practice a few weeks ago and appeared to be returning imminently, but then suffered a setback. Even without their top offensive option, Cincy managed to pick up their first win of the season Sunday.
Bengals Waive OT Andre Smith
Andre Smith‘s third stint with the Bengals has come to an end. Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (via Twitter) that Cincinnati has waived the veteran offensive tackle. The Bengals promoted tight end Mason Schreck from the practice squad to take the open roster spot.
The Bengals selected Smith with the sixth-overall pick in the 2009 draft, and the Alabama product ended up spending his first seven seasons with the organization. Smith has bounced around the NFL a bit since that time, spending time with the Vikings, Bengals (second stint), and Cardinals. Since 2016, he’s landed on the injured reserve twice with tricep and knee injuries.
This past offseason, the Bengals found themselves needing some offensive line depth after starting left tackle Jonah Williams suffered a season-ending injury and eight-year starter Clint Boling retired. The team brought in Smith, and the 32-year-old proceeded to appear in six games (five starts) for Cincy. Smith has only been active for one of the team’s last six games, but the Bengals presumably could have used another lineman after placing Alex Redmond on injured reserve yesterday.
Schreck joined the Bengals as a seventh-round pick out of Buffalo in 2017. The tight end appeared in six games as a rookie before landing on the injured reserve with a knee injury. He was waived by Cincy back in August and later landed on the Bengals’ practice squad.
Bengals To Place G Alex Redmond On IR
The Bengals will be without another of their offensive line starters for the season’s remainder. Alex Redmond will go on IR because of the torn biceps injury he suffered last week, Ben Baby of ESPN.com tweets.
Redmond’s move off the 53-man roster will make room for cornerback Darius Phillips, whom the Bengals will activate from IR. The Bengals placed Phillips on IR in late September, but the second-year corner returned to practice last week.
A 15-game starter last year, Redmond only made two starts for the Bengals this year. He began this season with a four-game suspension and suffered an ankle injury weeks ago. The third-year blocker was set to return to action in Week 12 but suffered this biceps malady during pregame warmups. Par for the course for what’s been a brutal Bengals season, particularly on the offensive front.
Phillips will be used in a backup role, per Zac Taylor. The 2018 fifth-round pick has played in 18 games, making one start in that time. Redmond can be retained next year via RFA tender, though the 2017 UDFA will not have much momentum going into that process.
Injury Notes: Redmond, Moore, McManis, Mack
The Bengals season of bad luck just continues getting worse. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, the team fears offensive lineman Alex Redmond suffered a torn biceps during warmups for yesterday’s game. If true, the already depleted Cincinnati offensive line will have to move forward with another man down.
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2016, Redmond worked his way onto the Bengals roster and eventually earned a starting spot along the team’s front. In 2018, Redmond started 15 games for Cincinnati and was expected to be the team’s starting right guard entering the season. A four game suspension for violating the league’s PEDs policy and a series of injuries, however, have limited him to just two starts on the year.
Here’s some more injury notes from around the league:
- Defensive end Damontre Moore suffered a fractured forearm in the 49ers dominating 37-8 victory over the Packers on Sunday Night, according to Matt Maioco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that Moore’s season was over and that the team would add defensive lineman Jeremiah Valoaga from the practice squad to take his roster spot. Moore was one of a handful of players in the now defunct Alliance of American Football (AAF) signed by NFL teams after the AAF season concluded. The 49ers originally released Moore at the start of the season, but signed him a couple weeks ago to deal with injuries along their defensive line. He accrued five tackles, one quarterback hit, and a forced fumble over two games prior to his injury.
- Bears brass fear defensive back and special teams ace Sherrick McManis suffered a season ending groin injury in Sunday’s victory over the Giants, according to Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune. McManis has appeared in 131 games over a ten-year career as one of the better special teams players in football. Last season, the Bears relied on McManis for rotational depth in their secondary as well. It appears the team will need to find a replacement for the versatile veteran.
- Colts head coach Frank Reich revealed that running back Marlon Mack will not play this week, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The news does not come as a surprise. Mack suffered a fractured right hand in Indianapolis’ Week 11 victory over the Jaguars and was expected to miss several weeks of action. Mack had been one of the Colts most dynamic weapons. The South Florida alum was averaging 4.5 yards per carry and recorded 938 yards from scrimmage over the team’s first ten games.
Bengals To Reinstall Andy Dalton As Starter
Andy Dalton will return to the Bengals’ starting lineup in Week 13. Benched for rookie Ryan Finley, the ninth-year starter will be back taking the snaps against the Jets, Zac Taylor announced.
“We just want a win, and that veteran presence he has will certainly be helpful,” Taylor said Monday, adding that he expects the 32-year-old veteran to be the Bengals’ starter the rest of the way, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic (on Twitter).
This does mark an interesting direction change for the Bengals, who were 0-8 with Dalton. They have, however, lost their most recent three games under Finley. A fourth-round pick, Finley was given three starts. He will return to the bench with a 47.1% completion rate, with 5.4 yards per attempt. Sunday will be Dalton’s 129th career start.
Dalton has completed 60.4 percent of his passes and is averaging 6.7 yards per attempt. The three-time Pro Bowler would seemingly be a trade candidate next year or profile as a player who would groom a 2020 rookie quarterback. His reinsertion into Cincinnati’s lineup certainly seems like a move being made to avoid the third 0-16 season in NFL history. This is the Bengals’ first 0-11 start in their 52-season history. They were previously 0-10 in 1993. This Bengals edition is coming off a home loss to a Steelers team that turned to Devlin Hodges at quarterback.
If the Bengals have seen what they needed to see from Finley, this further points to the team using its No. 1 overall pick on a quarterback. As of now, LSU’s Joe Burrow looks like the clubhouse leader to be the first passer drafted. But a lot can change between now and April. The Bengals have not used a first-round pick on a quarterback since 2003, when they chose Carson Palmer. Dalton was a 2011 second-round pick.
Bengals To Start Cordy Glenn In Week 12
- Cordy Glenn will not only make his 2019 debut Sunday, but the Bengals are preparing to slot the eighth-year back in as their left tackle starter, Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes. This will be a pivotal stretch for Glenn, who battled a concussion for several weeks before a contentious period with the Bengals resulted in the 30-year-old lineman’s one-game suspension. The Bengals were ready to shift Glenn to left guard, making room for first-rounder Jonah Williams, but the latter’s offseason injury nixed that. Glenn, who will replace John Jerry at left tackle, has no guaranteed money left on his deal. The Bills extension he signed in 2016 runs through 2020, but the Bengals could save $9.25MM by releasing him next year.
Bengals Designate CB Darius Phillips For Return
The Bengals have designated CB Darius Phillips to return from injured reserve, the club announced. Phillips was placed on IR at the end of September with a knee injury.
A fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft, Phillips has played in 18 games (one start) for Cincinnati in his brief career. The Western Michigan product has one interception to his name, which he notched in the team’s Week 3 loss to the Bills. He was also used on kickoff returns before going on IR, and he returned six kicks for an average of 22.8 yards per return.
The Bengals rank near the bottom of the league in pass defense, and as the only winless team in football, they might as well see what a young DB like Phillips has to offer, so he could get a fair amount of playing time if he ultimately returns to the field. He will be able to start practicing with the team today, and then Cincinnati will have a 21-day window to determine if it wants to activate him or shut him down for the rest of the season.
Cincinnati recently used its other IR return slot on WR John Ross.