As we pointed out twice today, Bengals defensive lineman Jonathan Fanene missed practice today after suffering a hamstring injury early against the New England Patriots. Fanene's hamstring was first problematic after reports surfaced that he "tweaked" a hamstring against the Buffalo Bills earlier in the preseason.
However, the injury appears to be a slightly more serious than we thought.
Carlos Holmes initially reported that Fanene suffered a hamstring tear and will be out three to five weeks. Geoff Hobson confirmed it hours later.
With Fanene out, it increases the likelihood that Carlos Dunlap will be activated for the first time this year, allowing Frostee Rucker to do the whole rotation defensive line shuffle dance. This may even increase Michael Johnson's snaps as a defensive end, who, according to Joe Reedy's snap chart, played all of his 16 snaps as a linebacker.
Fanene started 10 games last season, replacing Antwan Odom who suffered a season-ending injury early in the season. Odom's 49 tackles ranked second on the defensive line and he recorded a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Lions. His six quarterback sacks last season ranked second on the team, two behind the man he replaced.