When the Cincinnati Bengals made their final cuts to get to 53, linebacker Shaka Heyward was not on the initial roster.
Like all of the players who were released on cutdown day, excluding the vested veterans, Heyward had to pass through waivers. And as it turns out, there was another team that initially claimed Heyward off waivers.
The Bengals are lucky to have Heyward on their practice squad still because it nearly didn't happen.
Patriots almost stealing Heyward should put Bengals on alert
The Bengals had an advantage on cutdown day as they were in the waiver claim line. On the other end of the spectrum were the New England Patriots, who picked 31st. As ESPN’s Mike Reiss noted, they were worried about not being able to get the players they wanted.
However, one of the players they wanted was Heyward. So, the Patriots put in a waiver claim for the linebacker. But somewhere along the way, they changed their mind and rescinded their offer.
Of Heyward, Reiss writes, “League sources at the Patriots were the only team to put in a claim on the following five players: edge rusher Jamal Hill (Texans), tight end Cameron Latu (Eagles) and linebackers Shaka Heyward (Bengals), Erick Hunter (Lions) and Darius Muasau (Giants). They were awarded Muasau and Latu, and pulled back their claims on Heyward, Hunter and Hill.”
Once the Patriots did that, Heyward was free to rejoin the Bengals’ practice squad, where he remains for the moment.
Even though Hayward is with Cincinnati, the Bengals can’t take for granted that it will remain the status quo after a team has already put in a claim on him. He is obviously on other front offices’ radars. The Bengals should keep that in mind if they want to hold on to him for the entirety of this season.
And they should.
Heyward continues making a case for himself
Heyward enters his fourth season with the Bengals after having made an impression in his previous offseasons. We were excited bout what he could bring to the team after Cincinnati brought him in as an UDFA.
Last season, he recorded 16 tackles in 12 games played. But one telling statistical area is where he didn't show up. In limited action, Heyward was credited with zero missed tackles and a missed-tackle rate of 0%.
Heyward also did not miss any tackles in six games in 2024. But he only had six tackles that year.
In a 2025 season where Cincinnati's rookie linebackers struggled with missed tackles to the point where they were near the top of the league in that category, Heyward should have gotten more snaps than he did.
Or at least, let him play until he had a missed tackle. Just one. This preseason, he had another strong showing, leading the team with 16 tackles.
Heyward, like last season, did enough in our eyes to make the 53-man roster. However, the insistence on spinning the block with Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter, along with only keeping four total linebackers on the roster, made making the initial 53-man roster more daunting for the former Blue Devil.
Nevertheless, thanks to the Patriots resending their waiver claim on Heyward, he should get opportunities to make plays for the Bengals this season. And perhaps he could even go from the practice squad to starter if Knight and Carter struggle early in the season, like they did last year.
Heyward's chance of a bigger role on the team hinges on his availability for Cincinnati to bring up from the practice squad before another team promotes him to their 53-man roster.
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