Bengals practice squad 2016: Linebacker P.J. Dawson joins Cincinnati’s practice squad

It’s been a crazy past few days for linebacker, P.J. Dawson, but it finally appears as if his status for 2016 is settled. After initially making the Bengals’ 53-man roster and then promptly getting waived, Dawson is set to re-join the club on their practice squad.

The addition of quarterback Jeff Driskel to the team’s 53-man roster pushed Dawson out the door and it was uncertain if he would return. Complicating a reunion with the Bengals was his recent tryout with the Buccaneers, but it appears nothing materialized there and he’s back in The Queen City.

Initially, waiving Dawson came as a surprise, given his third round draft designation from just a year ago. However, rumblings have been surfacing about his effort in practice as well as his tardiness to team meetings.

Marvin Lewis constantly presses his players on being workmanlike and acting as true professionals, and it appears Dawson didn’t exhibit either trait. The hope is that this fall from grace might be a wake-up call and turn Dawson’s NFL career around.

Dawson played in 12 games for the Bengals in 2015, with 11 total tackles. He was primarily tasked with special teams duty, but did have some stints on the defense as a rookie.

Dawson participated in Bengals practice today.