A few injured Cincinnati Bengals players are officially on track to return to the active roster.

Cincinnati has designated cornerback Jalen Davis, wide receiver Andrei Iosivas, and rookie guard Brian Parker II to return to practice. All three are on injured reserve, but starting Thursday, they have a 21-day window to practice with the rest of the team without counting against the roster.

The Bengals will have to activate all three within that three-week window for them to play again this year. Nothing is guaranteed yet, but this is the first step in getting all three players back on the field.

Bengals could get two Week 1 starters back in the slot

Davis and Iosivas were Week 1 starters at slot cornerback and slot receiver, respectively. Davis suffered a hamstring injury during Cincinnati’s Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Iosivas suffered a thumb injury the week prior in the win over the Houston Texans.

The Bengals have tried different options at both positions during their absences. Josh Newton is expected to start at slot cornerback for the second straight week. Meanwhile, Dohnte Meyers has run with his opportunity to be the third receiver alongside Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Getting both players back would, at the very least, increase the depth at their respective positions. This is especially true at nickelback since Davis was supposed to be their answer there after hardly impacting the position during the offseason. 

Davis’ injury initially forced Dax Hill to move back to the slot, where he played last year, and DJ Ivey started for Hill on the outside in his place.

That plan led to issues both in coverage and in run defense.

Should Davis return to start, it would keep Hill on the outside, where he’s at his best. Newton would go back to the bench, which was the original plan all along. Getting Davis back on the field should be a priority for this defense.

What Andrei Iosivas’ return means for Bengals offense

Taking Iosivas out of the offense allowed Meyers to prove his preseason hype wasn’t a flash in the pan. I don’t think anyone should expect him to disappear from the offense. He’s established a level of trust with Burrow over the last month and change, and with how effective the passing game has been, inserting a drastic change may not be ideal.

Iosivas’ imminent return may be most felt in the run game. His injury came right before Colbie Young’s knee injury, which left Cincinnati without a capable blocker in the slot. 

Young is back and making a real impact in that regard. Adding Iosivas to the same packages in an equitable rotation could lead to the rushing attack should continuing its trend upward.

Brian Parker II comes back at a convenient time

As for Parker, he was locked in as one of the main backup interior offensive linemen before a knee injury took him out in the final week of the preseason.

The designation to return is an obvious positive sign that his injury was not season-ending. It also comes at a convenient time, with Dylan Fairchild dealing with a minor pectoral injury.

If Fairchild ends up missing any time, inserting Parker at left guard would be the Bengals’ best option. Parker impressed at the position during the preseason, and Cincinnati would rather turn to a player it already trusts than shuffle the rest of the line.

We’ll see if the Bengals activate any of these three players before Sunday night’s game against the Steelers. Until then, they’ll practice without counting against Cincinnati’s roster, which still sits at 52 players.