The Bengals iced wide receiver John Ross, activated running back Joe Mixon and expected right guard Alex Redmond and cornerback LeShaun Sims to get their first starts of the season after head coach Zac Taylor handed in his list before Sunday's game against the Jaguars at Paul Brown Stadium.
Ross, the Bengals' fastest wide receiver, goes to the bench for the second straight game as Taylor tries to come up with a way to unleash a vertical passing game that has been limited to one pass of 25 yards to a wide receiver.
Redmond became the third right guard in the fourth game to start for the Bengals at a position beset by injury and inconsistency. Redmond, who started 15 games at right guard two years ago, has been hounded by injuries himself and he was still rehabbing when he arrived at training camp after a season he started just two games when he injured his elbow. A big, tough factor in the run game, Redmond returned late in camp, was cut and signed to the practice squad two weeks ago.
With slot cornerback Mackensie Alexander (ribs/hamstring) out, Darius Phillips moves inside with Sims getting his first Bengals start and 12th of his career. A free-agent signing from the Titans in the offseason, Sims had an interception in his Bengals debut last week in Philly. Following his 19 snaps, pro football focus made him the Bengals' top-graded defensive player on the day.
After practicing all week, Mixon was a questionable add to Saturday's injury report with a chest issue but was apparently ready to play and extends his games played streak to 32 games.
