Charlie Jones cleared to practice

The Cincinnati Bengals have cleared wide receiver Charlie Jones to practice by designating him for return from the injured reserve list, the team announced Wednesday.

Jones, a fourth-round rookie out of Purdue, has been on IR since September 29th with a thumb injury. Today starts a 21-day period when he may practice with the team without counting against the 53-player active roster. He is eligible to be activated to the 53-man roster at any time during that period.

This news comes as the Bengals may be without fellow wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase this week due to a back injury.

Jones began the 2023 season as the Bengals’ primary punt returner. He returned a punt for a touchdown in Week 2 vs. the Baltimore Ravens. He has eight total punt returns for 150 yards and one score this year.

Jones also caught one pass for six years in Week 3 vs. the Los Angeles Rams. That was the game where he suffered a thumb injury in that landed him on IR, costing him the next five games and counting if he’s not activated this week.