Bengals place WR Mike Thomas on COVID-19 list

The Cincinnati Bengals have placed wide receiver Mike Thomas on the Reserve/COVID-19 list Friday.

Thomas, a sixth-year player out of Southern Miss, joins cornerback Chidobe Awuzie on the COVID list heading into the team’s Week 16 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. Awuzie has been on the list since Thursday, December 16th.

Pending any additional roster moves, this leaves the Bengals with five receivers on the active roster. Trenton Irwin has been inactive of late, so without Thomas, he’ll likely take his snaps on special teams and to provide depth on offense. Trent Taylor, who is still on the practice squad, is expected to be elevated again this week to be the team’s return specialist, so he’ll be the sixth receiver for Sunday’s game.

The Bengals have been effective at preventing any COVID outbreaks this season, so hopefully Thomas’ case is an isolated one. With the Baltimore Ravens dealing with so many cases of their own, Sunday’s game can’t come soon enough.