The last two players Cincinnati has brought in to the locker room have been receivers. Xavier Johnson was signed to the practice squad last week following the release of Jermaine Burton, and Williams now becomes the new sixth wideout on the active roster.

And he may be called on to play a specific role as soon as this week.

Ke’Shawn Williams may fill in as kickoff returner for Charlie Jones

One of the many Bengals who suffered an injury during Cincinnati’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15 was Charlie Jones. The third-year receiver suffered an ankle injury during the first half of the game and he never returned.

Jones has handled kickoff return duties for Cincinnati this year, taking 42 of the team’s 72 total returns. He only returned one kickoff Sunday for 20 yards before his injury exit. Rookie running back Tahj Brooks handled four on his own, but only averaged 22.5 yards per return. Jones has averaged 25.8 yards per return this season.

Should Jones’ injury keep him out for this week’s game against the Miami Dolphins and potentially either of the final two weeks of the season, the Bengals can now turn to Williams, who has some experience in this role.

Williams, who originally signed with Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent, returned 18 kickoffs for the Steelers in eight games. He averaged 23.6 yards per return and his longest return went for 37 yards.

The Bengal with the next-most return attempts this season is running back Samaje Perine with 17, but Perine is also needed on offense as the No. 2 tailback behind Chase Brown and played 45% of the offense’s snaps last week against Baltimore.

Williams only needs to fill the role of a kickoff returner, as Jones has only taken 20 snaps on offense this season. If Jones cannot play this weekend, Williams will have an opportunity to contribute immediately to his new team.