Cincinnati left offensive tackle Jonah Williams hopes he’ll be ready to play when the Bengals visit the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

The former Alabama All-American has played every offensive snap for Cincinnati this season except for six. An injury caused him to miss the final six snaps of the first half against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.

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“I dislocated my kneecap,” Williams said on Wednesday, “so it’s a matter of trying to take it day-by-day and having treatment all the time trying to get it feeling good so I can go on Sunday. That’s all I can do right now. …

“I’m going to be here early, staying late, trying to get it fixed and come back to playing as soon as I can.”

Williams showed on Sunday night he has the determination to stay in the lineup against the Saints. Against the Ravens, Williams returned to play every snap at left tackle for the Bengals in the second half.

“It was pretty rough,” Williams said of his second-quarter injury. “It’s Sunday Night Football against a divisional opponent on the road, I felt like I had to be out there, so that definitely helped the adrenaline.”

Williams said he’d never experienced an injury like that one.

“It was non-contact,” Williams said. “It buckled on me. I planted my foot weird. My kneecap slipped to the side of my leg.”

Williams said his initial thoughts were he had sustained a ligament injury, but the Cincinnati medical staff concluded the rest of his knee was sound

“After that, it was just seeing if I could play,” Williams said, “and I felt like I could, so that’s what I did.”

Williams did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday.

“Just take him day-to-day, and we’ll see where it’s at,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “It’s encouraging that he wants to do it, and, ultimately, we’ll just have to see how he feels as the week progresses.

“But he’s a tough guy. You appreciate that about him, and he’s going to give it everything he can to make it through the week and see where he’s at on Sunday.”

Taylor said he would be “comfortable” playing Williams even though he has missed practice.

“He just quietly does his job and has been dependable for us,” Taylor said. “We really appreciate what he’s done and the level he’s played for us this year. He’s just done a really nice job manning that left-tackle position for us.”

Williams joined the Bengals as the 11th player picked in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Williams sustained a torn labrum during Cincinnati’s offseason program shortly after being drafted and missed his entire rookie season. In 2020, Williams started 10 games at left tackle. A stinger caused Williams to miss the Bengals’ eighth and ninth games and a sprained medial collateral ligament kept him out of the final four.

In 2021, Williams played every offensive snap at left tackle in Cincinnati’s first 16 games, sat out the regular-season finale with the Bengals’ playoff spot secured, then played every offensive snap in four postseason games as Cincinnati reached Super Bowl LVI.

The Bengals and Saints square off at noon CDT Sunday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. CBS TV affiliates in Alabama are scheduled to televise the game.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.