Both teams enter Sunday’s Week 4 matchup in reasonably sound health at the star-player level, but a few significant Cincinnati roster moves this week have reshuffled the Bengals’ roster in a way that could meaningfully shift how this game unfolds.
Here is the full injury breakdown from Thursday’s injury report.
Bengals Roster Shuffling
CB Jalen Davis – Injured Reserve (Hamstring)
Cincinnati placed starting slot cornerback Jalen Davis on Injured Reserve on Tuesday following the hamstring injury he suffered during the Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Davis had earned the starting nickelback role entering the season and was the veteran anchor of a cornerback room that was already operating without significant depth. He will miss Sunday, though he is eligible to return no earlier than Week 8.
Davis to IR Impacts
Backup slot cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor, who was drafted this year and viewed as insurance behind Davis, was placed on Injured Reserve coming out of training camp and isn’t eligible to return until next week. Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden confirmed that outside starting cornerback Dax Hill would be moving back into the slot corner role. Hill has genuinely functioned at every level of Cincinnati’s secondary across his career, since he entered 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 eventually settling as an outside corner over 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 does not have a proven answer for. The outside cornerback spot Hill vacates will likely go to DJ Ivey, though 2026 third round pick, rookie Tacario Davis has been getting increasing snaps of late and multiple Cincinnati media members believe the team could use some combination of both players Sunday.
In a game where Jacksonville is deploying four legitimate receiving threats across multiple positions, whichever of the two lines up across from that group becomes an immediate priority target. Put plainly: when the Bengals operate in nickel, Cincinnati’s CB4 or CB5 from the start of the season will now be receiving starting snaps. That is a significant vulnerability against a Jacksonville receiving room operating with full health and full confidence after the 35-6 performance against New England. It 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) & WR Colbie Young – TBD (Knee)
Cincinnati’s receiving room has taken its own share of attrition. Iosivas, the team’s third wideout, was placed on Injured Reserve following Week 2, and his replacement Young seems unlikely to suit up Sunday after suffering a hip-drop tackle last week and not practicing on 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 did re-sign 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 of that game, but an exceptional individual play. His re-addition to the active roster gives Cincinnati another option in the event their receiving depth is tested further.
RG Dalton Risner – TBD (Knee)
The most significant offensive injury to monitor heading into Sunday concerns Bengals starting right guard Dalton Risner. Risner didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday and was still wearing a brace on his right knee during individual work on the rehab field, despite telling reporters Monday that he expected to be fine. Friday’s practice designation will be the clearest signal of whether he plays.
Risner’s absence would matter beyond simply filling a starting role. He has been one of the more productive guards in pass protection this season, ranking among the top ten at his position in successful pass block rate per Pro Football Focus. More specifically, Risner is the lineman Cincinnati routinely leaves to block on an island on the right side, which allows the staff to concentrate additional help toward left guard Dylan Fairchild, who they rarely leave in one-on-one situations.
Losing Risner could force Cincinnati to redistribute that pass protection, either leaving Fairchild more exposed or adding additional help via running back chipping or tight end assistance. This bears close attention on Friday’s final injury report.
Jaguars Holding Steady
Jacksonville is in roughly the same health position they carried into Week 3 against the Denver Broncos, which is to say 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, the official Thursday injury report listed the following players as limited:
- RB LeQuint Allen (hip)
- DT DaVon Hamilton (back)
- WR Jakobi Meyers (thumb)
- DT Albert Regis (elbow)
- CB Christian Braswell (knee)
- CB Montaric Brown (hamstring)
- RT Cole Van Lanen (knee)
Cornerback Jarrian Jones, who entered the week listed with a hip designation, was a full participant for the second consecutive day, an encouraging sign ahead of a matchup against Cincinnati’s elite receiving corps.
The Bigger Picture
The week’s most consequential injury developments belong entirely to Cincinnati. Losing Jalen Davis and Colbie Young in the same week, compounding Iosivas’ earlier IR placement, has left the Bengals navigating their passing game and secondary with considerably less depth than they likely anticipated entering the season. For Jacksonville, a receiving room that features Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., Josh Cameron, and Brenton Strange has every reason to view Sunday’s matchup as a genuine opportunity to impose their identity against a cornerback group operating well below full strength. Friday’s final injury report, particularly Risner’s status, will determine the final shape of this matchup. But the direction of the injury news this week has pointed consistently toward Jacksonville.
Sunday’s Week 4 road matchup between the Jaguars and Bengals is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST.
