Bengals Designate Shemar Stewart To Return From IR
The Bengals designated rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart to return from injured reserve on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Ben Baby.
Stewart was placed on injured reserve on November 15 with a knee injury. He is returning to practice as soon as he is eligible and could play on Sunday against the Ravens, according to head coach Zac Taylor.
Stewart, the No. 17 overall pick in April’s draft, has dealt with a number of bumps in his rookie year. First was a contract dispute that sidelined him for offseason workouts and the first week of training camp. He played in the first two games of the regular season before an ankle sprain sidelined him for four weeks. He returned in Week 7 but went down against in Week 9 and missed another month.
Those absences may have hindered Stewart out of the game. The Texas A&M product was considered a raw prospect coming out of college who would need significant development to unlock his physical potential. But the stop-and-start nature of his rookie season seem to have impacted his performance. Stewart has just six tackles and one quarterback hit in five games and 177 offensive snaps this year as part of the Bengals’ overall lackluster defensive effort.
On the other hand, the Bengals need every bit of help they can get to keep their season alive. They host the Ravens this weekend after handily winning their first matchup on Thanksgiving. In that game, Cincinnati turned in one of their best performances of the season, forcing five turnovers and holding Baltimore to just 14 points, all without their starting defensive end duo of Stewart and Trey Hendrickson. If at least one is back in the fold on Sunday, the Bengals defense could have another strong day and keep the team’s playoff hopes alive.
Stewart will have 21 days to practice with the team before he must be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending injured reserve.
Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order
Week 14’s action brought about a few notable updates to the standings at both ends of the NFL’s conferences. Another four teams are officially out of playoff contention, while wins by Tennessee and New Orleans could prove to be rather important once the campaign has ended.
The Jets, Browns, Falcons and Commanders were eliminated from the postseason through the results of recent days. Of course, each of those teams have been out of the running for a playoff push for some time now. Still, that group will be worth watching closely over the closing four weeks of the season as the top-10 order for Day 1 of the draft gradually comes into focus.
Uncertainty regarding the quarterback class of 2026 will no doubt remain a talking point over the coming months. Fernando Mendoza strengthened his case to be QB1 in April’s draft, although it remains to be seen if other top signal-callers like Dante Moore and Ty Simpson will turn pro or elect to remain in school for one more season. Decisions on those fronts will be central storylines carrying significant implications for the teams near the top of the order which find themselves in need of a quarterback investment.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.
Here is an updated look at the first-round order:
- New York Giants (2-11)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-11)
- Tennessee Titans (2-11)
- Cleveland Browns (3-10)
- New Orleans Saints (3-10)
- Washington Commanders (3-10)
- New York Jets (3-10)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-10)
- Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-9)
- Minnesota Vikings (5-8)
- Miami Dolphins (6-7)
- Baltimore Ravens (6-7)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-7)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1)
- Carolina Panthers (7-6)
- Detroit Lions (8-5)
- New York Jets (via Colts)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-5)
- Houston Texans (8-5)
- Chicago Bears (9-4)
- Buffalo Bills (9-4)
- Los Angeles Chargers (9-4)
- San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
- Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
- Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
- Seattle Seahawks (10-3)
- New England Patriots (11-2)
- Los Angeles Rams (10-3)
- Denver Broncos (11-2)
Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson Undergoes Core Muscle Surgery
DECEMBER 9: Hendrickson has indeed undergone surgery, Rapoport reports. The procedure took place this morning, and its recovery timeline ensures a return in time for Cincinnati’s final four games will not be possible. Now, attention will turn to the matter of Hendrickson’s pending free agency.
DECEMBER 8: Trey Hendrickson remains out of the Bengals’ lineup. Last year’s sack leader will not play in Week 15, and there is a strong chance his final appearance of the season has already taken place. 
Hendrickson has been dealing with what has been termed a hip injury for much of the season. After briefly returning to action, the All-Pro edge rusher has been sidelined since Week 9. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor ruled Hendrickson out for this week when speaking to the media on Monday, noting (via ESPN’s Ben Baby) a visit with a specialist is upcoming.
Since Taylor’s remarks, Baby’s colleague Adam Schefter has reported Hendrickson is set to undergo core muscle surgery to correct an issue which has not healed as expected with rest. Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero caution that the upcoming visit with Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia comes as Hendrickson is merely considering surgery at this point. Provided he does go under the knife, though, Hendrickson’s season will almost assuredly be over.
Schefter notes the procedure will carry a recovery timeline of roughly six weeks. The Bengals have four games remaining in the regular season and at 4-9 they are not in position to qualify for the playoffs. Barring a major turnaround over the coming weeks, Hendrickson will thus not be able to return (presuming he does proceed with surgery).
In that event, this situation will become one to watch closely. Hendrickson’s 2025 round of contract talks with the Bengals nearly produced an extension agreement. With the team unwilling to provide guarantees beyond the first year of a long-term pact, though, a compromise was reached. Hendrickson received a bump in compensation for this season while remaining on track for free agency in the spring.
Given today’s update, the four-time Pro Bowler is now in position to reach the open market after a season in which he played just seven games. Hendrickson racked up 57 sacks across his first four Bengals season, but he has registered just four in 2025. If that remains the case through to the end of the campaign, his free agent stock will certainly take a notable hit.
On the other hand, Hendrickson drew trade interest before and during this season. The 31-year-old will no doubt be among the top edge rushers on the market in March, provided he and the Bengals do not reach agreement on a new deal. For now, attention will turn to Hendrickson’s decision regarding surgery.
In the meantime, a Bengals defense which has underperformed in several areas will continue with its best player still unavailable. Cincinnati has recorded 21 sacks this season, which ranks 29th in the NFL. A return on the part of Hendrickson would aid the team’s efforts to improve in that regard, but it appears that will not be taking place.
Bengals Waive WR Jermaine Burton
Jermaine Burton‘s Week 14 Bengals suspension invited questions about how much longer he would remain on the team. A parting of ways is now taking place. 
Burton has been waived, head coach Zac Taylor announced on Monday. This marks a rather unceremonious end to the wideout’s two-year tenure in Cincinnati. Burton has not played yet this season, and despite being healthy he did not travel with the team to Buffalo for yesterday’s game.
Coming out of college, Burton was regarded as a highly talented prospect. Character concerns hurt his stock, though, and the Georgia and Alabama product fell to the third round of last year’s draft. Making 14 appearances, Burton’s rookie season saw him receive only 14 targets and make just four catches. Instead of developing into a depth option in the passing game this season, he has remained a non-factor through to today.
Taylor declined to specify the details behind Burton’s suspension (h/t ESPN’s Ben Baby). In any event, that has proven to be the final chapter in his brief Cincinnati tenure. The 24-year-old will now hit the waiver wire. In the event he clears – which can certainly be expected, given the circumstances – Burton will become a free agent. It will be interesting to see where his next NFL opportunity will come from.
In the meantime, the Bengals will move forward with a receiving group led now and for years to come by Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Andrei Iosivas has remained a complementary No. 3 option at the position in 2025, and tight end Mike Gesicki represents another pass-catching presence for the closing stages of the season. Burton will not feature in that group moving forward.
Several positions on defense have been labeled as logical targets regarding offseason moves for the Bengals. Given Burton’s dismissal (and the fact Iosivas is a pending 2027 free agent), though, receiver could be seen as a secondary priority as well.
Bengals Suspended WR Jermaine Burton For Week 14
Jermaine Burton has yet to play this season for the Bengals. The second-year wideout continued that trend in Week 14 after he did not travel with the team. 
On Saturday, Burton was ruled out for the Bengals’ matchup against the Bills today for non-injury-related reasons. The team later announced that he had been suspended for the game. The decision will lead to over $59K in lost money by means of a forfeited game check (h/t Tom Pelissero of NFL Network). Details on what prompted this discipline have not yet emerged. Nevertheless, this represents another unwanted development for Burton.
A third-round pick last year, Burton had a quiet rookie season as Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, Mike Gesicki, and Chase Brown accounted for nearly 80 percent of quarterback Joe Burrow‘s targets. Burton was targeted 14 times in 2024 but only caught four balls. He did make the most of those receptions, though, proving his deep threat ability with 107 receiving yards.
This isn’t the first time the 24-year-old has not been allowed to travel with the team. In late-December 2024, Burton was accused of assault in a domestic dispute with an ex-girlfriend. Four days later, the Bengals announced that Burton would not be traveling on the team’s trip to Pittsburgh to end the season.
He hasn’t appeared in a game since that announcement, so there’s reason to believe the two data points could connect, but there’s been no reporting on the prior incident to suggest it’s been behind his extended absence this season. In fact, yesterday’s announcement of his suspension for today’s game indicates that he hasn’t been suspended to this point, so the absence throughout the year could be totally unrelated to discipline.
We can only report what we hear, and little has been coming out of Cincinnati this year concerning the second-year Alabama product. Whatever the situation, Burton may want to get on the right side of things soon. Glowing reports have already come through on the wide receivers at the top of the 2026 NFL Draft class, and the Bengals may decide to dip back into those waters if they think they can’t rely on Burton after this season.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
AFC North Rumors: Browns, Burrow, Bush, Kent
Much of the focus of the Browns‘ 2025 NFL Draft class was on the excitement of the early-round rookie defenders and the novelty of being the only team in NFL history to have drafted two running backs and two quarterbacks in the first five rounds of the draft.
With some crystal-clear hindsight, Zac Jackson of The Athletic lamented that the Browns neglected to bring in any rookie offensive linemen as they came into the season with all four established starters playing on contract years, while the fifth starter had proven to be prone to injury. The Browns traded to acquire left tackle Cam Robinson from Houston back in September after the injury-prone starter, Dawand Jones, went down with injury, but Robinson, too, is playing on the final year of his current deal, meaning all five current starters should be headed to free agency at the end of the year.
Because of this, Jackson asserts with some certainty that the Browns “will be looking to draft a left tackle of the future” in the 2026 NFL Draft. Cleveland has two first-round picks in 2026 — their own and Jacksonville’s. They may use one to address the quarterback position, but the second one could certainly go to an offensive lineman. A surefire top offensive tackle has not necessarily been identified at this point in the pre-draft process, but names like Utah’s Spencer Fano, Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor, and Miami’s Francis Mauigoa could all be candidates to fill out a Browns offensive line that could feature five new starters in 2026.
Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC North:
- Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow‘s first game back from injured reserve was a mixed bag. He delivered a convincing win — thanks in part to a surprisingly dominant performance from his defense — while only completing 52.2 percent of his passes. Encouragingly, though, he was only sacked once and threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns — both season highs. While Burrow has made an impressive comeback, returning much earlier than many expected, it hasn’t come without its caveats. Per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the carbon fiber plate and orthotic in his cleat to prevent his shoe from bending is “not comfortable for Burrow,” causing the starter discomfort specifically while playing. When not on the field, he alleviates the pain by taking the cleat off and wearing a sneaker on the sideline. He’ll continue to manage his discomfort as the Bengals push with renewed vigor for a surprisingly open AFC North title.
- Our last update concerning the legal battles of Browns linebacker Devin Bush saw a jury trial scheduled for December 2. ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reported on Tuesday that, instead, Bush’s case has been continued in the form of a non-jury trial that will now take place on December 16.
- Two days ago, the Steelers opened the 21-day practice window for seventh-round rookie cornerback Donte Kent. The Central Michigan product had spent the first 13 weeks of his first year on IR but looked like he might just be able to get healthy in time to make his NFL debut as a rookie. Unfortunately, though, Kent suffered a new injury in his first practice back on the field. According to Steelers senior director of communications Burt Lauten, the injury is severe enough that he will miss the remainder of the season. No move to IR will be necessary. Instead, Kent will be too injured to be activated, and once his 21-day practice window officially expires, he will return to IR without the possibility of being activated again.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/25
Here are today’s midweek minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Designated for return from IR: DL L.J. Collier
- Signed to active roster: TE Pharaoh Brown
Atlanta Falcons
- Reverted to season-ending IR: LB Malik Verdon
Cincinnati Bengals
- Designated for return from IR: LB Shaka Heyward
Green Bay Packers
- Signed off Giants’ practice squad: DT Jordon Riley
Houston Texans
- Signed to active roster: DE Solomon Byrd
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed to active roster: DE Matt Dickerson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed to active roster: T Esa Pole
Los Angeles Chargers
- Designated for return from IR: RB Hassan Haskins
Minnesota Vikings
- Designated for return from IR: RB Ty Chandler
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: WR Dante Pettis, G William Sherman
New York Jets
- Designated for return from IR: LB Cam Jones
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Designated for return from IR: CB Donte Kent
Collier signed with Arizona after injuries and a failure to live up to his first-round draft stock led to his departure from Seattle. He earned a starting role with his new team, but after his first game for the Cardinals, he was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a bicep injury. He worked his way back to health and started 15 of 17 game appearances last year, but his struggles on the line led to a team reunion with Calais Campbell and the drafting of Walter Nolen in the first round. Collier was working as a depth piece before getting placed on IR back in September, and if he can get back to the active roster, he’ll add to the line’s depth, once again.
As a rookie, Verdon was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list to start the season. The undrafted linebacker had been designated to return from the reserve/NFI list, but now that his 21-day practice window has come and gone without an activation, he moves to IR.
Pharaoh in Arizona, Dickerson in Duval, and Pettis in New Orleans all had used up their three standard gameday practice squad elevations. If their respective teams wanted to see them play in any more games this season, a move to the 53-man roster was necessary.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/2/25
Twenty-one different teams made practice squad transactions on Tuesday. Here are the latest updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: RB Montrell Johnson, RB Sincere McCormick
- Signed: LB Eku Leota
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB William Kwenkeu, RB Jonathan Ward
- Placed on practice squad IR: LB Chandler Martin
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DE Andre Jones
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Jalen Kimber
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DT Simeon Barrow, G Jack Conley, RB Ahmani Marshall, LB Mark Robinson
- Placed on practice squad IR: DE Julian Okwara
- Released: LB Eugene Asante
Denver Broncos
- Released: WR Kyrese Rowan
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Shemar Bartholomew
- Released: CB Tyron Herring, WR Michael Woods
Houston Texans
- Signed: OLB Xavier Thomas
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: K Greg Joseph
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: C Josh Kaltenberger, OT Foster Sarell
- Released: WR Luke Grimm, OT David Sharpe
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: OL Wyatt Bowles
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: OL Kion Smith
- Released: OL Braeden Daniels
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: QB Desmond Ridder
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Beanie Bishop
- Released: RB Ian Wheeler
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Samuel Womack
- Released: WR Brandon Smith
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: DB Parry Nickerson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DB Daequan Hardy
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OLB Ja’Markis Weston
- Released: C Doug Kramer, WR Brenden Rice
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Owen Wright
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Kristian Wilkerson
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR Robbie Chosen
- Released: LS Zach Triner
With J.J. McCarthy close to a return from his concussion, the Vikings parted ways with Ridder. He was signed last week after McCarthy entered concussion protocol, but was not elevated to back up Max Brosmer in Week 13. That responsibility instead went to John Wolford, who remains in Minnesota.
Bishop was released by the Steelers at the beginning of November. After appearing all 17 games last year with a 50% snap share, he did not make the 53-man roster this season and remained on the practice squad. He will now join the Saints in the hopes of making his 2025 debut in New Orleans.
Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson Likely To Miss More Time
The Bengals have gone four games in a row without star defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who’s dealing with a hip/pelvis injury, and a return does not appear imminent. Hendrickson is “doubtful” to face the Bills on Sunday, head coach Zac Taylor said (via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer). Taylor doesn’t seem sure if Hendrickson will return this season.
“We’ll just keep taking it week to week,” Taylor said.
After back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons, Hendrickson and the Bengals engaged in a lengthy contract standoff that dragged deep into the summer. The Bengals ultimately revised Hendrickson’s deal in August, giving him a $14MM raise for 2025. The pending free agent is earning $30MM this season, though the Bengals haven’t gotten enough bang for their buck as a result of his injury issues.
Hendrickson has played in seven games, none since Oct. 26, and totaled four sacks. He drew interest leading up to the Nov. 4 trade deadline, but nobody was willing to meet the Bengals’ asking price of a second-round pick. With Hendrickson still out a month later, his post-deadline contributions have been nonexistent.
Having gone without Hendrickson for a significant period, the Bengals rank 30th in the league in sacks, 31st in total defense, and dead last in points per game allowed. To its credit, the unit complemented quarterback Joe Burrow‘s long-awaited return from IR with a strong performance in a 32-14 win over the AFC North rival Ravens on Thanksgiving.
Upsetting the Ravens on the road boosted the Bengals’ chances of a miraculous playoff run, but there’s likely no room for error. At 4-8, they’re two games behind the Ravens and Steelers in the division. Another loss would guarantee a sub-.500 season, which could close the door on a playoff spot, and continuing to go without Hendrickson won’t help matters.
Set to turn 31 on Dec. 5, Hendrickson’s injury woes aren’t doing him any favors with an offseason trip to the open market looming. The Bengals may prevent Hendrickson from reaching free agency via the franchise tag, which would mean giving him another pay bump. He’d cost around $35MM in that scenario.
Deciding Hendrickson’s future will be among the Bengals’ pressing offseason tasks. In the meantime, it appears they’ll have to continue trying to keep their faint playoff hopes alive without him.
Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order
Week 12 saw the Giants become the first team in the NFL to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Based on Sunday’s results, another two teams from each conference saw their postseason chances officially come to an end.
The Titans, Saints, Raiders and Cardinals have now been eliminated as well. Attention in the case of those teams will increasingly turn toward the offseason. For some, questions about changes at the quarterback spot will be ongoing through the spring. Free agency is not expected to include many notable options, so the draft will be sought out in several instances as a means of finding a 2026 starter.
Of course, the incoming class of passers has largely underwhelmed this season. That has led to uncertainty regarding the ceiling for many of the top prospects at the quarterback position. Nevertheless, supply often outweighs demand at the top of the Day 1 order in the NFL draft. How things shake out over the closing weeks of the season will be key in determining which QB-needy teams find themselves in the best position to select a new QB1.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.
Here is an early look at the first-round order:
- Tennessee Titans (1-11)
- New York Giants (2-11)
- New Orleans Saints (2-10)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)
- Cleveland Browns (3-9)
- Washington Commanders (3-9)
- New York Jets (3-9)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-9)
- Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
- Minnesota Vikings (4-8)
- Miami Dolphins (5-7)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-6)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6)
- Carolina Panthers (7-6)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1)
- Detroit Lions (7-5)
- Houston Texans (7-5)
- Baltimore Ravens (6-6)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
- Buffalo Bills (8-4)
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)
- New York Jets (via Colts)
- San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
- Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
- Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
- Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
- Seattle Seahawks (9-3)
- Los Angeles Rams (9-3)
- Denver Broncos (10-2)
- Chicago Bears (9-3)
- New England Patriots (11-2)