Bengals Re-Sign Trayveon Williams, Place Rookie on IR, Add 4 to Practice Squad

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals‘ roster gymnastics routine has stretched into Day 3 with the team announcing six moves this morning, including the return of running back Trayveon Williams.

The Bengals waived Williams on Wednesday to make room for defensive end KJ Henry, whom they signed off waivers from the Washington Commanders.

Bengals Add 2 Running Backs (One Familiar, One New)

The move created some shock at first as it left the team with just two running backs on the 53-man roster (Zack Moss and Chase Brown) and none on the practice squad.

But Williams was quick to temper the outrage on X with a quick post telling everyone to relax, indicating what was to come.

Roster gymnastics everybody take a deep breath 😂 !

— Trayveon Williams (@TrayveonW) August 28, 2024

Because Williams is a vested veteran, he was not subject to waivers. So it was a wink-and-nod agreement by the team to get cut and come back the next day, even if there was interest from other teams.

The Bengals could have brought Williams back on the practice squad and used his three game-day elevations until a spot on the 53 opened up. Instead, they elected to place defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson on injured reserve.

Head coach Zac Taylor had said Tuesday after cuts that the team didn’t put Jackson on IR because his timeline was more favorable than those of punter Brad Robbins (hip flexor) and defensive end Myles Murphy (knee), both of whom were placed on injured reserve-return.

Though Jackson’s injury timeline may be more favorable, he’s still a rookie who missed a large chunk of training camp. Thus, giving him a minimum of four weeks to get back to full health while attending meetings, watching film, and getting in the playbook will help.

Not only are Jackson, Murphy, and Robbins ineligible to play for four games, they also cannot even practice until the Wednesday before the Week 5 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Bengals also filled out their practice squad by signing four players, including another running back to give them four in the group of 69 (53 active roster and 16 practice squad).

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Kendall Milton (6-1, 320 pounds) is a rookie RB from the University of Georgia, who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted college free agent in May. The Eagles waived him Tuesday.

Among Power Five running backs with at least 100 carries last season, Milton ranked fifth in yards after contact per attempt (4.12), per Pro Football Focus.

Tashawn Manning (6-4, 340) is a guard and a first-year player from the University of Kentucky who originally signed as a UDFA with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. He was on their practice squad all season and was waived Tuesday.

Justin Rogers (6-3, 335) is a defensive tackle and a rookie from Auburn University. He was a seventh-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys this year and was waived Tuesday.

Isaiah Thomas (6-5, 270) is a second-year defensive end from the University of Oklahoma. He was a seventh-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2022 and played in 10 games as a rookie with nine tackles, one sack, and two passes defensed.

Thomas was on the practice squad all of last year, and the Browns waived him Tuesday.