The Cincinnati Bengals suffered a major injury loss. Veteran wide receiver Andrei Iosivas has been placed on IR with a thumb injury.
Being on IR means that Iosivas will need to miss at least four weeks, and initial reports indicate that it could be in the range of four to six weeks that he misses. He needed to have surgery on that thumb after being injured in Week 2.
Iosivas is often unsung for the Bengals. He’s the third receiver in what is one of the most talented receiving rooms in the NFL. Still, he brings plenty of value to the table. In his brief time on the field this season, he has 3 receptions for 19 yards. That’s a year removed from snagging 33 receptions for 435 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Cincinnati Bengals Have Options to Replace Andrei Iosivas
Losing Andrei Iosivas isn’t a death blow for the Bengals this season. They’re still talented at the position. At the same time, they clearly need to find a way to replace his production.
“[We have] several guys that can step up, whether it’s in the receiver room, tight end room, there’s a lot of ways we’re going to fill that,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Wednesday.
The two major names to look at are going to be Dohnte Meyers and Colbie Young. They were both players who managed to impress during the offseason for the Bengals.
Young was a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He has plenty of talent, but his college career was disrupted due to off-field issues. Young does have 1 reception for 7 yards in his brief NFL career.
Meyers is even more interesting for the Bengals. Undrafted out of Delta State in 2023, Meyers has been playing in the CFL and has now earned a shot at the NFL. He and quarterback Joe Burrow were noted for putting in time together during the offseason and in Training Camp, which helped him to make the roster. For his part, he has 1 reception for 18 yards.
The injury to Iosivas obviously isn’t ideal for the Bengals. However, they do have some interesting options.
The Bengals Already Had Injury Concerns at WR
The bigger concern for the Bengals was that their star wide receivers were dealing with injuries during Training Camp. Notably, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins went down with injuries at points.
The Chase injury was more concerning. He landed awkwardly on his knee while in coverage. That ended up being a hyperextended knee, dodging a possibly season-ending injury. Still, that’s never good for a wide receiver and he seemed hampered by it in Week 1, though he did quickly bounce back.
This season, Chase has 9 receptions for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns. That’s 9.7 yards per reception. However, his per-game stats are still down from previous seasons.
Then, Higgins was dealing with a heel contusion. That’s essentially a severe bruise. Still, on his heel, it could make it painful for him to cut and jump.
Higgins has 8 receptions for 154 yards. That’s 19.3 yards per reception. His per game stats are actually up from previous seasons.
Bengals Have Options to Replace Veteran WR Recently Added to IR