Bengals roster news: Adam Jones to IR; Tony McRae signed from practice squad

We may have seen the last of Adam Jones in a Cincinnati Bengals uniform.

On Saturday, the team placed Jones on season-ending injured reserve. With a free spot on the 53-man roster, the team signed Tony McRae off the practice squad.

Jones suffered a groin injury in Monday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It actually came off of an interception on Ben Roethlisberger, but as Jones injured himself during the return.

That was one of the few bright spots in what’s been a disastrous year for Jones, which began with his offseason arrest. That led to him serving a one-game suspension to open the year. Once he returned, the 34-year-old corner was one of the Bengals’ worst starting defenders.

Jones ends his 2017 season ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 91st-best corner out of 115 eligible players. He was a liability in coverage more often than not, so this should be the last we see of him in Cincinnati, especially with a cap hit of over $6 million next year.

As for McRae, a first-year NFL player for 2017, he originally joined the Bengals in August of 2016 as a college free agent. The 5'10", 185-pound cornerback played four seasons (2012-15) at North Carolina A&T and was a first-team All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference selection as a senior. ESPN had McRae pegged as the 85th-best cornerback prospect entering the 2016 NFL Draft.

With McRae now on the 53-man roster, there is a vacant spot on the practice squad the Bengals may look to fill next week.