Another terrible outing from the Cincinnati Bengals' defense has spurred an adjustment to the 53-man roster.
Cincinnati announced Monday that veteran wide receiver Trenton Irwin has been waived and linebacker Shaka Heyward has been signed off the practice squad to take Irwin's roster spot.
Why the Bengals cut Trenton Irwin
Irwin, who's been with the team since the 2019 season, had fallen down the Bengals' wide receiver depth chart this year. He only played in seven of the team's 12 games and was a healthy scratch this past weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The writing was on the wall for Irwin to lose his roster spot should another player earn one. Isaiah Williams, whom was claimed last month, made his debut Sunday against Pittsburgh and played three snaps on offense while also fielding the team's lone punt return of the afternoon. Williams has essentially taken Irwin's role from him.
Now that a practice squad spot has opened up, it would not be surprising at all to see Irwin rejoin the team in that capacity.
What Shaka Heyward's role will be
Taking Irwin's roster spot is Heyward, a second-year linebacker who's spent the last two season on the practice squad. Heyward made a push for the initial 53-man roster back in August but ultimately lost out to rookie Maema Njongmeta.
Heyward is now on the roster to help compensate for Logan Wilson's knee injury. Wilson missed the Steelers game after failing to practice throughout the week, and it's unclear if he'll be able to return next Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys. This ensures the Bengals will have five healthy linebackers available without having to elevate Heyward off the practice squad. The team already used an elevation on Heyward back in Week 11.
It's also not out of the equation that Heyward could see playing time with the defense. Germaine Pratt and Akeem Davis-Gaither dramatically underwhelmed against Pittsburgh, and the linebacker position could use new solutions.
In short, signing Heyward to the roster instead of waiting until the weekend to elevate him doesn't bode well for Wilson returning this week. It's a great opportunity for Heyward to play in his second-ever regular season game, and for the defense to try out new personnel.
