Leon Hall leaves Colts game with back strain; Darqueze Dennard takes over slot

The injury bug feel more like an injury parasite right now for the Bengals. Not long after Cincinnati lost starting weakside linebacker Vontaze Burfict to a neck injury, Pro Bowl cornerback Leon Hall was later forced from their Week 7 game against the Colts.

Hall appeared to come up gimpy after dropping a gimme interception. Once he left the game, first-round rookie Darqueze Dennard entered the game to take over Hall's slot spot.

Hal has since been declared "doubtful" to return by the team with what's being called a strained back. If Hall is out for an extended amount of time, that means Dennard is in for a starter's load of snaps going forward. The Bengals love using the nickle package as their best defense, and the top three corners tend to get 40+ snaps per game.

To this point, Dennard has been rarely used on anything other than special teams.