Next game
Who: Cincinnati Bengals (0-0) at Chicago Bears (0-0)
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago
TV: Ch. 7, 12
Radio: 700 AM; 102.7 FM; 104.7 FM
The Cincinnati Bengals filled seven spots on their roster squad Sunday with players they had waived Saturday.
Running back Dan Herron, wide receiver Cobi Hamilton, linebacker J.K. Schaffer, tackle Reid Fragel, center T.J. Johnson and cornerbacks Onterio McCalebb and Chris Lewis-Harris cleared waivers and were re-added to the eight-man practice squad.
The team could be saving the final spot for a quarterback, with only Andy Dalton and Josh Johnson on the active roster and Zac Robinson on the Physically Unable to Perform List. Or they could be waiting to see if defensive end Dontay Moch, who led the team in sacks in each of the last two preseasons, elects to sign with another team or return to the Bengtals.
Herron lead the team in carries (31) and yards (167) in the preseason, but he begins his second consecutive season on the practice squad. Despite his solid preseason, Herron — who was activated for Games 13, 14 and 16 last year and played mostly on special teams — lost the battle with rookie sixth-round pick Rex Burkhead for the final running back spot on the 53-man roster.
Schaffer led the Bengals in tackles in the preseason with 21, and he also had a sack and an interception. But the team elected to keep just five linebackers on the 53-man roster, forcing Schaffer onto the practice squad for a second consecutive season.
Lewis-Harris, who also spent time on the practice squad in 2012, was waived and re-signed twice last year. He played in two regular-season games as well as the Wild Card playoff in Houston.
By bringing back rookies Hamilton, Fragel and Johnson, the Bengals have all 10 of this year’s draft picks on the team, either as members of the 53-man roster or practice squad.
Sixth-round pick Hamilton had seven receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown in the preseason. The seven catches tied for the team lead with Giovani Bernard and Marvin Jones. Hamilton also had two rushes for 35 yards, but he struggled with ball security, dropping quite a few passes in practice and losing a fumble in the loss at Dallas.
Fragel and Johnson were seventh-round picks. Johnson played in all four preseason games, getting on the field for 105 of a possible 248 snaps. Fragel missed the first two games but played 58 of 112 snaps in the final two.
McCalebb is an undrafted free agent who the Bengals converted from running back to cornerback. He also was in the mix on kickoff returns in the preseason, averaging 25.3 yards on his three attempts.
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