Charlie Jones Ready to Take on Outside Wide Receiver Role if Bengals Injuries Linger

The Bengals made a concerted effort to stock the wide receiver room for the future during the 2023 NFL Draft, and the team could need both rookie wide receivers to make plays against the Texans. Andrei Iosivas has shown strong early signs that he can handle a bigger role.

Fellow rookie, Charlie Jones, hasn't had as many chances on offense as "Yoshi," simply due to injury, but a return this week could come at just the right time with Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase hurt.

"Before I came here, I played primarily on the outside," Jones told All Bengals James Rapien this week. "So I'm used to that. I've been pretty much here just playing in the slot. But you know for me, that time that I was out I was trying to mentally get into it. Understand the playbook. More time to really look at it and focus on a wider lens of what everyone else has gotten, not just the slot, so if they need me, I'm ready to go."

Jones has just one snap out wide this season, making it more likely that Iosivas and Trenton Irwin get the first calls off the bench in a worst-case scenario on Sunday.

Still, he leads the league in average punt return distance (18.8 yards per return) and will be a huge boost to that phase of the game. Time will tell how many wide receiver opportunities Jones continues to get as he bounces back from the thumb injury that knocked him out of the win over Los Angeles.