Bengals could get back an injured starter as early as this week, and the timing couldn’t be better
Cincinnati is getting some help in practice this week.
The Cincinnati Bengals are starting this week’s practice schedule with two more players than they had last week. Safety Daijahn Anthony and tight end Mike Gesicki, both of whom are still on the Reserve/Injured list, have been cleared to return to practice Wednesday
Being cleared to practice means a 21-day window has opened for each player to practice with the team without counting against the 53-man roster, and that a return to the roster is imminent within the next three weeks.
For Gesicki specifically, that return could happen later this week, and the timing works out wonderfully for Cincinnati.
Bengals could get Mike Gesicki back while Ja’Marr Chase serves one-game suspension
Anthony and Gesicki may both be practicing now, but the latter is closer to returning in comparison. Head coach Zac Taylor tempered expectations with both, but alluded to Gesicki having a chance to play sooner, potentially this week.
“Daijahn obviously hasn’t gotten practice since training camp,” Taylor said to reporters Wednesday. “So I think that one, there’s a lot of work that’s gotta go in there. He hasn’t played football in a long time.
“Gesicki being out four weeks, I feel like he’s a little ready to hit the ground running, so we’ll see how he looks this week.”
Anthony has been on I.R. since Aug. 26 with a hamstring injury. He was designated for return at that point, which allowed the team to construct the initial 53-man roster without him on it. As Taylor mentioned, it has been a while since he’s put on pads, and he may need at least a week or two before he’s ready to go back out there.
Gesicki has been out for four games (five total weeks) with a pectoral injury, so he hasn’t missed as much time and has played and practiced more recently, so it makes sense that he’d need less time in comparison to Anthony.
If Gesicki is activated this week, it’ll come at a great time with Ja’Marr Chase unable to practice and then play Sunday. Chase has been suspended until next week for spitting on Jalen Ramsey during last week’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chase has accounted for 32.8% of the Bengals’ targets this season and has averaged 14.4 targets per game with Joe Flacco at quarterback. That’s a lot of involvement up for grabs with him out of the picture.
Gesicki wouldn’t be tasked with that much of a workload in his first week back, but if he were to come back this weekend, it’d make Taylor and Flacco’s lives a little bit easier to operate without their top weapon on the outside. 98 of Gesicki’s 101 routes ran this season have been from either the slot or the outside.
Gesicki will likely need at least one full practice under his belt if activating him off I.R. is to happen. If there was ever a time he’s needed more than ever, it’s this week for certain.
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It’s his time to shine.
