Bengals practice squad players who'll be important after the bye week

The Cincinnati Bengals have the week off but there are eight games remaining on the 2022 regular-season schedule. The team has recently had to turn to some practice squad players due to injuries and that's what we'll discuss in this article.

Let's check out some practice squad players that could make an impact after the bye week.

All stats and snap counts courtesy of Pro Football Reference

Drue Chrisman

It isn't working out with Kevin Huber and that has become crystal clear in the first nine games of the season. Huber has shanked way too many punts and isn't putting the Bengals defense in good situations with the field position the opposition gets the ball at.

Chrisman, on the other hand, has been stashed on the practice squad since last year and some fans were a little disappointed that he didn't outright win the job over the summer. The former Ohio State punter has said that he'll be ready to go if the Bengals turn to him coming out of the bye.

After what we've seen from Huber so far, no one would be surprised if Chrisman was the one handling punts in Week 11 in Pittsburgh.

Allan George

The final two players on the list actually got called up for the Week 9 game but they've spent most of the season on the practice squad. George was an undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt who impressed mightily over the summer and in training camp and preseason games.

George made his NFL debut this past week against the Panthers and ended up playing in 41% of defensive snaps and 21% of special teams snaps. It helped that the team was up big over the Panthers, giving him a chance to actually see the field and show what he could do.

With the injuries in the secondary not getting any better, George is someone that the Bengals need to call up and keep up on the 53-man roster. He isn't a starter but he provides a depth piece that Cincinnati desperately needs in these final eight games.

Trenton Irwin

As mentioned on George's section, Irwin has been on the active roster this year, playing in the last two games. He almost had his first NFL touchdown in the win over Carolina but it was ruled not a catch.

Irwin joined the team last offseason and after an impressive preseason, managed to make the final roster. He only had two catches for 34 yards during his first season in Cincinnati but he managed to stick around this offseason and remain on the team's practice squad. So far this season, Irwin has three catches for 41 yards, already passing his 2021 total in five fewer games.

With Ja'Marr Chase injured and no return revealed for the star wideout, the Bengals need a third wide receiver to step up and help Joe Burrow out on offense. Mike Thomas struggled to be that guy in the loss to Cleveland but Irwin has shown that he can catch passes when called upon.

The Cincinnati Bengals were fortunate to avoid injuries last year but they haven't had the same luck this time around. Fortunately, they have these three players on the practice squad that they can call up and lean on a little bit when needed.

Which players from the practice squad would you like to see the Bengals promote to the active roster?