Bengals get bad news as 400-plus yard WR is headed to IR amid thumb injury

The Cincinnati Bengals are 2-0 to begin the 2026 NFL Season, with wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans . Their defense has looked great, and the offense, led by Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase at wide receiver, looks strong.

However, the Bengals, following their Week 2 victory, have lost a key receiver. While Higgins and Chase are fine, their No. 3 WR has been lost for some time.

Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic is reporting that the Bengals' Andrei Iosivas is headed for injured reserve and will miss at least four weeks due to a thumb injury.

Bengals get bad news on Andrei Iosivas amid IR report

"Andrei Iosivas tore a ligament in his thumb and is going on IR," Dehner reports. "It will not end his season, according to Zac Taylor."

This is an unfortunate blow for the Bengals offense, as Iosivas has been a productive receiver the past two seasons for Cincinnati.

In 2024, Iosivas caught 36 of his 61 targets for 279 yards and six touchdowns. Last season, he caught 33 of 58 targets for 435 yards and two touchdowns.

While he's been the team's No. 3 receiver the past few years, Iosivas is a quality depth option who has over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns in his NFL career.

Now that he's landing on IR, Iosivas is going to miss the next four weeks at minimum, meaning he'll miss Weeks 3, 4, 5, and 7 due to the Week 6 bye for Cincinnati.

The mention from Taylor that this isn't a season-ending issue, however, indicates this IR stay might be longer than four weeks for Iosivas.

Taking his place on the WR depth chart will be a combination of two intriguing young WRs. Colbie Young , the 24-year-old rookie out of Georgia, and 26-year-old Dohnte Meyers will factor into the WR room as depth options.

Joe Burrow still has his top targets to throw to in Higgins and Chase, and tight ends Mike Gesicki and Erick All Jr. should see their fair share of work.

The Bengals will be without Iosivas for an extended period of time. He's slated to miss at least four weeks, and this thumb injury appears to be more serious, so more than four weeks could be on the table for the Bengals ' fourth-year WR.