Shaka Heyward cleared to practice

The Cincinnati Bengals announced on Wednesday that they have cleared linebacker Shaka Heyward for practice. This means his 21-day roster exemption will begin, during which he can practice with the team without counting against the 53-man roster. At the end of that window, they will need to decide on what to do.

Heyward, a sophomore player, was put on IR in late October with a lower leg injury. He only took 10 snaps over two games (Weeks 3 and 4) on Al Golden’s defense, but has done the bulk of his work on special teams.

Heyward was an undrafted free agent out of Duke in 2023. He caught on to the Bengals’ system quickly and impressed Lou Anarumo enough to claim a roster spot, and has bounced back and forth between the active roster and the practice squad.

The Bengals have to face the Bills and Ravens over the next two weeks, and their defense, as well as Darrin Simmons’ special teams, could use any and all help they can get.