Bengals Injuries Create Big Chance for Jaguars in Week 4

The Jacksonville Jaguars hit the road in Week 4 to face the Cincinnati Bengals. Both teams enter Sunday’s Week 4 matchup in reasonably good star-level health. However, some key Cincinnati roster moves this week have reshuffled the Bengals’ depth chart in ways that could significantly change how this game unfolds.

Here’s the full injury breakdown from Thursday’s injury report.

CB Jalen Davis – Injured Reserve (Hamstring)

Cincinnati placed starting slot cornerback Jalen Davis on Injured Reserve on Tuesday following a hamstring injury suffered in the Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Davis earned the starting nickelback role entering the season and became the veteran anchor of a cornerback room running without significant depth. He will miss Sunday, though he is eligible to return no earlier than Week 8.

Davis on IR Impacts
Back-up slot cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor was drafted this year and viewed as insurance behind Davis, and was placed on Injured Reserve coming out of training camp and not eligible to return until next week. Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden confirmed that outside starting cornerback Dax Hill will return to the slot corner role. Hill has played at every level of Cincinnati’s secondary throughout his career, since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2022. In his rookie year, he was deployed at free safety, then box safety, then slot cornerback, before finally settling in as an outside corner the last two seasons.

While his versatility could help Cincinnati in the slot, shuffling their best remaining cornerback inside creates an opening on the outside that Cincinnati doesn’t have a proven answer for. The outside cornerback spot vacated by Hill will likely go to DJ Ivey, though 2026 third-round rookie pick Tacario Davis has been getting more snaps of late, and many members of the Cincinnati media believe the team could use some combination of both players Sunday.
In a game where Jacksonville is deploying four legitimate receiving threats at multiple positions, either of the two lines opposite that team will be an immediate priority target. Put plainly: when the Bengals work in nickel, Cincinnati’s CB4 or CB5 from the beginning of the season will now receive starting snaps. That’s a huge weakness against a Jacksonville receiving room that’s operating with full health and confidence following a 35-6 performance against New England. These moves could also force Cincinnati to adjust how they deploy their defensive structure, moving away from nickel looks or coverages they would normally run with more experienced personnel.

WR Andrei Iosivas – Injured Reserve (Thumb) and WR Colbie Young – TBD (Knee)
Cincinnati’s receiving room has gotten its own share of attrition. Iosivas, the team’s third wideout, was placed on Injured Reserve following Week 2, and his replacement, Young, appears unlikely to suit up Sunday after suffering a hip-drop tackle last week and not practicing Wednesday or Thursday. The assumption in most circles is that tight end Mike Gesicki could absorb additional target volume as the third receiving option in Cincinnati’s offense with both players unavailable. The Bengals re-signed wide receiver Mitch Tinsley this week as part of their roster adjustments, and Dohnte Meyers is listed on the updated depth chart as the top slot receiver.
Jaguars fans may recognize Tinsley as the receiver who hauled in a one-handed, 13-yard touchdown against Jarrian Jones from Jake Browning last season, his only catch in that game, but an outstanding individual play. His re-addition to the active roster gives Cincinnati another option should their receiving depth be further tested.

RG Dalton Risner – TBD (Knee)
The most significant offensive injury tracking entering Sunday concerns Bengals starting right guard Dalton Risner. Risner did not practice Wednesday or Thursday and is still wearing a brace on his right knee while working on the rehab field, despite telling reporters Monday that he expects to be fine. Friday’s practice assignment will be the clearest sign yet of whether he will play.

Risner has been one of the more productive guards in pass protection this season, ranking in the top ten at his position in successful pass block rate, according to Pro Football Focus. More specifically, he’s the lineman Cincinnati regularly leaves to block on an island on the right side, allowing them to focus extra help on left guard Dylan Fairchild, who they rarely leave in one-on-one situations.

Losing Risner could force Cincinnati to redistribute that pass protection, Fairchild could be more exposed or add more help through running back chipping or tight end help. It draws attention to the last damage report on Friday.

Jacksonville is in almost the same health position that they carried into Week 3 against the Denver Broncos, which means they are among the healthier rosters in the AFC. The only notable development this week was tight end Nate Boerkircher missing Thursday’s practice with an illness.

In addition to Boerkircher, Thursday’s official injury report listed the following players as limited:

Cornerback Jarrian Jones, who entered the week listed with a hip designation, was a full participant for the second straight day, an encouraging sign ahead of a matchup against Cincinnati’s elite receiving corps.

The most consequential injury developments of the week belong entirely to Cincinnati. The loss of Jalen Davis and Colbie Young in the same week, compounding Iosivas’ earlier IR placement, left the Bengals navigating their passing game and secondary with less depth than they likely expected entering the season. For Jacksonville, a receiving room featuring Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., Josh Cameron, and Brenton Strange has every reason to view Sunday’s matchup as a real opportunity to impose their identity against a cornerback group operating below full strength. The final injury report on Friday, especially Risner’s status, will determine the final shape of this fight. But the direction of this week’s injury news continues to point toward Jacksonville.

The Week 4 road matchup between the Jaguars and Bengals is scheduled for 1 pm EST.