The Bengals quietly used Tuesday to finish off a few roster tweaks as they head into Week 7 with Baltimore looming. Cincinnati moved safety Russ Yeast onto the active roster, then shuffled the practice squad by releasing safety Isaiah Nwokobia and adding tight end Josh Kattus, who had been with the team this summer but did not make the opening-day roster.
They also brought in linebacker Emany Johnson for the practice squad. Johnson spent part of 2024 with Dallas, then handled his rookie season on the practice squads of the Cowboys and L.A.
Chargers. He stayed on the Chargers’ practice squad for the full 2025 campaign and had not appeared in practice or game action to begin this season.
There’s at least some recent tape to point to with Johnson. He posted a 49.8 defensive Pro Football Focus grade on 86 preseason snaps this year and a 74.5 grade on 149 snaps last year.
The changes are small, but they come around a roster that already looks fairly settled. Cincinnati should be getting Jalen Davis and Andrei Iosivas back from injured reserve in the coming weeks, and the only injury situation still being tracked is Kyle Dugger’s quad, which is described as week-to-week.
The pass-catching group now has to absorb a bigger load without depth tight end Tanner Hudson, who is out for months after tearing his pec. Zac Taylor said the Bengals are open to mixing and matching roles between the receiver room and tight end room.
"I think we'll call on the whole room in the receiver room. We're getting healthy at the receiver room too, so I think just combining both those rooms and dispersing how those roles will play out is something we're always open to week to week," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said on Monday. "We feel like we've got a lot of people with a lot of different strengths that can all play at a high level in both those rooms, and just finding ways to game plan for those guys, get them involved, is important for us."
Cincinnati has Tuesday off before getting back on the field Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Then comes a big AFC North road game in Baltimore this weekend.
In Other News...
Bengals Have A Special Teams Problem Beyond Their Star Kicker
Evan McPherson has given the Bengals a rare sense of stability on special teams this season, but the unit around him has been anything but steady. While the kicker has been handling his part, Cincinnati has dealt with roughing-the-kicker penalties, muffed punts and other costly breakdowns that have put added stress on a roster already trying to make every possession count.
The problems have extended beyond the return game, too. Punter Ryan Rehkows average yards per punt sits near the bottom of the NFL, and coverage miscues have repeatedly turned routine hidden-yardage situations into trouble. For a team that has needed cleaner execution in close games, special teams has become one more area where mistakes have carried real consequences. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Burrows Mom Opens Up About The Bengals Stars Rise
A new Bengals-focused podcast series is leaning into the family side of football, with The Enquirer set to roll out Beyond Sunday as a special-edition look at five mothers of Cincinnati players. The project opens with Robin Burrow, who discusses her familys football experiences and the path that helped shape Joe Burrow into the franchises quarterback.
Published weekly on Cincinnati.com from Oct. 21 through Nov. 18, the series is built around the perspective of the women who have watched the Bengals rise from close range. Robin Burrows episode is expected to touch on the milestones that marked Joes climb, along with the recruiting and big-stage moments that defined his journey, giving fans a more personal view of one of the most followed players in the league. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Have One Costly Problem To Fix Before Ravens Rematch
The bye week arrived at a useful time for Cincinnati, which is sitting at 3-2 and trying to turn a solid start into something more stable before the schedule tightens again. The defense has taken a step forward in points allowed and in creating pressure, while Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase have kept the passing game dangerous even as the run game continues to lag behind.
Still, the Bengals know the margin for error has been too thin in their two losses, and the next stretch will demand cleaner football all around. Special teams breakdowns hurt them in one defeat, and a late Burrow turnover swung another, leaving a clear reminder that improvement against Baltimore is going to take more than just the offense carrying the load. [Read more 🡒]