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Bengals injury report: Carlos Dunlap sits; Michael Johnson practices; Reggie Nelson leaves with trainers

Not having Carlos Dunlap vs the Raiders would be a big loss for the Bengals, so hopefully his absence was nothing serious.

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

The Bengals hit the field Wednesday for another practice session ahead of Sunday's opener vs the Raiders.

The most notable name not practicing today was defensive end Carlos Dunlap, whose absence has yet to be explained. Dunlap never appeared to suffer an injury in training camp or the preseason, so we could be looking at nothing more than a veteran's rest day here.

Michael Johnson was able to practice again today after participating in Monday's session. Monday was his first time he returned to the field since spraining his MCL in the first week of August. Johnson was seen taking part in team drills on Tuesday, which is a great sign. The hope is, he will be playing Sunday, but for now, Marvin Lewis is keeping quiet on the topic. It's still good to see he's out there in some capacity, and that bodes well for him playing within the next two weeks. Whether it's this week at Oakland or next week at home vs San Diego.

If for whatever reason Dunlap doesn't play on Sunday, that could mean the Bengals may be without their top two pass-rushers as Johnson's status is unknown. Still, one or both of them may play Sunday; we'll just need to wait and see.

Cornerback Darqueze Dennard was also able to practice again today after practicing Monday as well. After missing the final three weeks of the preseason, Dennard looks to make his return this week after a groin injury cost him much of the past month of practicing.

Starting safety Reggie Nelson left the open portion of practice early with an undisclosed injury that wasn't witnessed by reporters in attendance.

Also, according to Geoff Hobson, Andrew Whitworth as also not in attendance at practice with a seemingly minor issue.