The Bengals' offense is increasing in depth; Return of Marv; Eifert, tight ends rule

With three wide receivers and running back Zack Moss (neck) on the inactive list, the Bengals dipped into their depth chart on Sunday to play the Raiders at Paycor Stadium.

Additionally, left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (knee) is inactive for the first time in his career as the Bengals duel with Raiders Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby and left tackle Cody Ford.

Wide receivers Tee Higgins (quad), Charlie Jones (groin) and Jermaine Burton (coach's decision) were placed on the list. Burton was expected to play more than his career-high of 25 snaps last week. Instead, practice squad member Kendric Pryor was promoted to make his NFL debut.

Kendall Milton, the rookie running back from Georgia, also stepped up on Saturday. Moss practiced Wednesday and Thursday but returned Friday with a neck injury. He and Chase Brown split the porters.

Now Trayveon Williams, the six-year reserve with 62 career appearances, could get his first goal of the season.

With Higgins and Burton out, the Bengals will need strong support from No. 3 receiver Andrei Iosivas and tight end Mike Gesicki. In two of the three games Higgins missed, Gesicki had seven catches. Iosivas scored two touchdowns while Higgins was out of the lineup, and he scored his second touchdown of the season on September 23 in Higgins' first game of the year.

Gesicki and Iosivas appear to move up and down opposite three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.

Moss received high marks for his blocking, a testament to Williams' experience. Crosby needs 1.5 sacks and five tackles to become one of five NFL players to have 60 sacks and 350 tackles in their first 91 games.

Look for wide receiver Trenton Irwin to replace Charlies Jones on punt and kick returns.

Also inactive were defensive tackle Jay Tufele and tight end Tanner McLachlan.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor expected his defense to get stronger along with depth. He announced the defensive starters and named linebackers Germaine Pratt and Akeem Davis-Gaither as game captains, as well as safety Vonn Bell and left end Sam Hubbard.

Slender Marvin Lewis, the winningest head coach in Bengals history, joked upon his return Sunday morning as the Raiders' assistant head coach that he was performing as a 2003 version.

“Two new hips. Two new knees,” Lewis said. “Feels great.”

This was Lewis' first of 16 seasons here. A rookie from his final season in 2018, Sam Hubbard, stopped by to greet his old head coach as Lewis dubbed him “The Lone Soldier,” the last Marvinium-era player on the Bengals' roster.

Lewis appeared to join in the voting Tuesday as he and his son Marcus, a Raiders defensive assistant, greeted well-wishers. They huddled with the two coaches remaining from Marvin's staff, special teams coordinator and associate head coach Darrin Simmons and defensive quality control coach Louie Cioffi.

Bengals quarterbacks coach Brad Kragthorpe, whose grandfather Marvin Lewis coached at Idaho State, stopped by to chat, and Bengals wide receivers coach Troy Walters, who was on the staff when Marcus Lewis played at Indiana State, said Hello.

There were also various photos taken with some of the Bengals cheerleaders and stadium staff.

Tyler Eifert, the 2015 AFC North champion Bengals Pro Bowl tight end, served as ruler of the jungle Sunday on a day in which Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki is expected to play a major role and Raiders rookie Brock Bowers leads all tight ends with 52 catches.

And it's hard not to think about 2015 when Eifert was in the building with his head coach that season.

“I love Marv. We had a great coaching staff here with Jon Hayes,” Eifert said of his tight ends coach in six of his seven seasons in Cincinnati. “It was a great year until it was over.”

With Eifert catching 13 touchdown passes, most of them by a Bengals tight end, they became the first team in the AFC North to start 8-0 and were on their way to becoming the AFC's top seed when quarterback Andy Dalton faced off against Broke his thumb at the end of the season.

“I follow them,” says Eifert, 34, who lives in Palm Beach, Florida, and manages real estate projects.

Eifert never got a chance to play with Burrow and signed with Jacksonville the year they drafted him. It turned out that the 2020 season was Eifert's last in an injury-plagued career.

“Joe arrived the year I left, and the year after I was in Jacksonville, Trevor Lawrence was drafted,” Eifert said. “It would have been nice.

“It looks like Joe is having his best statistical year yet.”

Anyone who knows Eifert is not surprised that he is not bitter about his terrible luck. He broke his forearm in the first series of the 2014 season and after tearing his ankle in the 2015 Pro Bowl, he played in 14 games over the next three seasons.

“Dislocated elbow, dislocated ankle. It always seemed like something big. “We never missed four weeks with a thigh injury,” said Eifert. “Sometimes you think about it. If you were healthy. I feel like if I was healthy I would still be the Bengals tight end. I love Cincinnati.”

“But what use would it be?” asks Eifert. “I look at how lucky I was to play in the NFL and do what I was able to do.”

On Sunday, he'll keep an eye on Gesicki, arguably the Bengals' best receiving tight end since Eifert.

“Let’s win one at home,” says Eifert, “and get going.”