Bengals thin in last preseason practice

Coley Harvey, ESPN Staff WriterAug 26, 2014, 06:30 PM
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- Previously covered Florida State for Orlando Sentinel and Georgia Tech for Macon Telegraph
- Northwestern University graduate
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CINCINNATI -- On the heels of a physical preseason game at Arizona less than 48 hours prior, the Cincinnati Bengals were thin Tuesday morning at the start of their final practice of the preseason.

Linebacker Vontaze Burfict (hamstring), cornerback Darqueze Dennard (hip) and running back Cedric Peerman (undisclosed) headlined the 14-player absences. Burfict hurt a hamstring Sunday night after appearing in just six plays against the Cardinals. Dennard has been sidelined since Week 2 of the preseason, when he hurt his hip on his very first play. Peerman's injury hasn't been given an official prognosis, but it appeared he fell hard on his left hip at the end of a 37-yard run in the second half of Sunday's game.

Burfict said he'll be ready for the season opener at Baltimore on Sept. 7.

Depending upon the volume and severity of all the injuries, the Bengals may have to alter the amount of snaps certain players receive in Thursday night's preseason finale against the Colts. They would like to use the game to get the final 25 players on the roster one last chance to prove themselves, and they would like to do what they can to keep their starters healthy.

After all, it was in last year's preseason finale when linebacker Emmanuel Lamur suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, derailing what had been a promising year. Cincinnati would like to avoid going through a similar situation this season.

Other notable absences Tuesday included receiver James Wright, the seventh-round draft pick who was knocked out of Sunday's game in the fourth quarter with a concussion. On an attempted catch in the end zone, he took an apparent forearm to his head before his helmet also bounced off the turf when his body hit the ground. He was one of three Bengals with injuries so bad in the fourth quarter that they had to be carted off. One of those three players, offensive lineman T.J. Johnson, practiced Tuesday.

Running back Rex Burkhead also was out of Tuesday's practice, missing action at the start of his second straight week. He injured his knee in the Bengals' Week 2 preseason loss to the Jets.

The Bengals aren't required to publish daily injury reports during the preseason, but they will furnish them beginning next week. So the following names are players who were observed by reporters to have missed (or in two cases to have returned) the open portion of Tuesday's practice:

Not practicing

DT Devon Still (hamstring)

CB Darqueze Dennard (hip)

WR James Wright (head)

RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (undisclosed; was ill last week)

LB Vontaze Burfict (hamstring)

TE Jermaine Gresham (undisclosed)

CB Adam Jones (undisclosed)

QB AJ McCarron (shoulder)

LB J.K. Schaffer (head)

WR Marvin Jones (foot)

OG Trey Hopkins (shin)