CINCINNATI — The Bengals will be without Trey Hendrickson tonight. The star pass rusher is officially inactive due to the hip injury he suffered against the Green Bay Packers in Week 6.
Jermaine Burton, Cam Taylor-Britt, Matt Lee, McKinnley Jackson, Tanner Hudson and Jermaine Burton are also inactive.
Taylor-Britt is healthy and wasn’t on the injury report, but is inactive for the primetime matchup with the Steelers.
Veteran guard Lucas Patrick is active. He re-joined the 53-man roster on Thursday afternoon. Patrick has missed the past five games due to a calf injury he suffered against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. He returned to practice last week. He’ll be their backup center behind Ted Karras with Lee inactive.
Jordan Jefferson is active for the first time and will make his Bengals debut. Cincinnati claimed Jefferson earlier this month after he was waived by the 49ers.
The Bengals elevated defensive end Isaiah Foskey from the practice squad. Cincinnati signed Foskey last month. He was the 40th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden is familiar with Foskey. He coached him at Notre Dame in 2022. Foskey finished with 45 tackles (14 for loss) and 11 sacks in his final season with the Fighting Irish.
The Bengals elevated Foskey with Hendrickson has been ruled out. Hendrickson pushed to play, but Cincinnati is just 96 hours removed from their matchup with the Packers. A short week made it impossible for the All-Pro to get on the field.
Hendrickson leads the Bengals with four sacks on the season. With the reigning NFL sack leader out, the Bengals are banking on Myles Murphy, Joseph Ossai and rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart to make an impact.
Stewart suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 against the Jaguars. Prior to the injury, he flashed his potential. They need him to be a major factor against the Steelers, both as a pass rusher and run defender.
Cincinnati enters the game with a 2-4 record. They’ve lost four-straight games and need a victory over Pittsburgh if they’re going to turn their season around.
The Bengals played four of their first six games of the season on the road. They’re at home for their next three contests.
Watch our instant reaction to the Taylor-Britt news below:
