Bengals Bring Back Intriguing Young Player Ahead of AFC North Showdown vs Ravens

The Bengals made the move on Friday afternoon.

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Shaka Heyward (50) intercepts a pass intended for Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki (88) at Bengals spring practice at the IEL Indoor Facility in Cincinnati on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals activated Shaka Heyward from injured reserve on Friday and he re-joined the 53-man roster.

Heyward was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 28 with a fibula injury. He's played in eight games this season. He has 10 tackles this year and has primarily played on special teams.

He's been on the field for 130 special teams snaps (59%) and seven defensive snaps (1%). It would be nice to see him get more snaps on defense moving forward.

Rookie linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter have struggled for much of the season.

The coaching staff believes in Heyward. They've praised him in the past and the door could be open for him to have a role on defense on Sunday against the Ravens. Heyward has only played 17 defensive snaps in his NFL career.

Sunday Showdown

The Bengals are hoping to sweep the Ravens on Sunday. They would improve to 5-9 on the season and 4-1 in the division with a victory.

Cincinnati only has a 3% chance of making the postseason. They have to win their final four games of the season. They need Baltimore to lose one more game after Sunday. They also need the Steelers to lose three of their final four games of the season.

If all of those things happen, then they'll make the postseason for the first time since 2022. It's highly unlikely, but not impossible.

For this week, it's simple: the Bengals need to beat the Ravens and they need the Dolphins to beat the Steelers.

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