Bengals injury update on John Ross and Ryan Hewitt

As the Cincinnati Bengals hit the practice field Wednesday, John Ross was still unable to work with his teammates on the field.

The good news is Ross was present and doing some agility work. That’s a good sign that a return is not too far away, though it looks highly unlikely he plays in Week 5 versus the Buffalo Bills?

So, why is Ross out again?

Despite being listed on the injury report with a knee injury, it’s been unclear what exactly caused the injury and if it was related to the preseason knee injury he suffered.

Turns out, Ross simply reaggravated that same injury during a Wednesday practice in Week 3, according to Paul Dehner. That’s unfortunate, though it’s not the first time that the Bengals have had a key play reinjure himself after not being given enough time to heal properly from his previous injury.

Alas, the Bengals looked fine without Ross in a Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns. One of the few down moments of that game was h-back Ryan Hewitt leaving with a knee injury. He didn’t practice Wednesday and is probably out for Sunday’s matchup with the Buffalo Bills.

According to Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson, Hewitt and Ross could both return in Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ross looks to be improving because he wasn’t on the rehab field last week. It’s believed Hewitt is eyeing a return after next week’s bye and maybe Ross, depending how it responds, is in the same boat as the Steelers wait at Heinz Field in two weeks.

Assuming Hewitt is out this week, Cethan Carter could get his first NFL start at h-back. The undrafted free agent out of Nebraska has played sparingly this season, but he has been active in every game.