Bengals place Khalid Kareem on Injured Reserve; re-sign Mike Thomas

Kareem can return after Week 3 this year.

The Cincinnati Bengals today have placed defensive end Khalid Kareem on the Reserve/Injured list. In a corresponding move, they’ve re-signed wide receiver Mike Thomas.

Kareem, a second-year player out of Notre Dame, was originally a fifth-round pick by the Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft and played in all 16 games as a rookie. He suffered a shoulder injury earlier in the offseason and missed a few weeks of training camp and the first two weeks of the preseason because of his ailment. He did end up playing in the preseason finale, but re-aggravated his injury after just 11 snaps.

Since he made the initial 53-man roster, Kareem can return from I.R. after the first three weeks of the season. All players placed on I.R. during the season can return after three weeks.

Thomas, a sixth-year player out of Southern Miss, was originally a sixth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2016 NFL Draft. He signed with the Bengals last offseason and ended up playing 14 games. Cincinnati re-signed him this offseason to a one-year deal, but terminated his contract as one of the final cuts earlier this week.

It was surprising to see Thomas released, considering the team was left with just five receivers, but they clearly had a plan to bring him back in case they needed to place Kareem on I.R.

These moves bring the Bengals to six receivers and 10 defensive linemen on the active roster.