Injuries are inevitable part of training camp. The return of real practice puts players in harms way as they go through the necessary steps in getting ready for the season.

The Cincinnati Bengals have been relatively lucky with injuries since returning to the field last week. Go look at the current state of the NFC South for what it looks like on the other end of the spectrum.

That doesn’t mean the entirety of the roster is 100% right now, though. Cincinnati is managing a few its players with the preseason under a week away from beginning. Things could change with any of them when practice picks back up on Sunday. For now, let’s take stock in the current injuries the Bengals are dealing with.

B.J. Hill

Defensive tackle BJ Hill was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list before the start of camp. The 31-year-old veteran has yet to practice with the team, but has been actively rehabbing while practice has been going on.

He is still recovering from an off-season procedure regarding his foot. He dealt with a foot injury for most of the 2025 season, and had to be managed in practice throughout the year.

The expectation is Hill will return to practice in the near future, and be ready for the regular season.

Josh Kattus

The only other Bengal that began camp on an injury list was rookie tight end Josh Kattus, who was initially placed on the Non-Football Injury list. The undrafted free agent signing from the spring has since been clear to practice.

It’s unclear what injury Kattus was recovering from, as well as when the injury took place. The NFI list is typically where rookies who are still injured from their college days end up at the beginning of camp. Whatever the case, Kattus is back.

Shemar Stewart

The first notable injury Cincinnati suffered in camp happened to its first-round pick from last year. Defensive end Shemar Stewart suffered a hyperextended knee during the first official practice of camp. Coach Zac Taylor announced Stewart would be out for several weeks.

If you think that is vague, you’re right. Taylor notoriously prefers not to name specific return timelines in case of potential setbacks. “Several” weeks could mean an entire month, or potentially longer.

I would estimate Stewart will miss the entirety of the preseason, but has a chance of returning for Week 1 in September. Consider considering what the injury looked like when it happened, this is still a really good outcome for the 22-year-old.

Dax Hill

Starting cornerback Dax Hill has been limited in practice for most of the last week. He was seeing favoring his hamstring early in the week, and has been sideline for most of team drills and move the ball sessions.

Soft tissue injuries are quite prevalent in the summer heat of camp. It’s very likely the Bengals are taking it easy with one of their key pieces of the secondary. This has given backup DJ Ivey, and third-round pick Tacario Davis reps in his place with the first-team defense.

Cincinnati is right to play it safe with Hill. With proper maintenance, I expect him to be fine for the regular season.