Banged up Bengals missing key players at Wednesday practice

A depleted Cincinnati Bengals roster got to work on Wednesday to prepare for the team’s first matchup of the year against the division rival Baltimore Ravens.

Not practicing on Wednesday were Shawn Williams (hamstring), Dre Kirkpatrick (knee), A.J. Green (hamstring), C.J. Uzomah (calf), Brandon LaFell and Andrew Whitworth. Williams, Kirkpatrick and Green were all injured in Sunday’s loss to the Bills. Green has already been ruled out by Marvin Lewis for Sunday. But, he is expected to return at some point this year.

Uzomah didn’t play on Sunday in the loss to the Bills and was on the rehab field on Wednesday, dealing with a calf injury. It’s expected that the reason for Whitworth sitting out on Wednesday was a veteran’s rest day, which he receives regularly.

The good news on Wednesday was that long snapper Clark Harris was practicing, in pads, following an injury on Sunday. Harris’ injury looked pretty bad so it’s encouraging that he’s practicing already. This also follows the Bengals signing Tyler Ott, a first year long snapper out of Harvard, to the practice squad. (I personally think the Bengals were just been trying to set the record for the most guys named Tyler on an NFL roster.) If Harris is unable to go on Sunday, the Bengals will likely elevate Ott to the roster and use him in Harris’ place against the Ravens.

It’s unknown why LaFell wasn’t practicing on Wednesday, but it would be a major loss if he doesn’t play on Sunday in Baltimore. The Bengals are already without Green and need LaFell to not only play, but step up in a big way against the Ravens. LaFell is the most experienced receiver on the roster and will be a key player for the Bengals until Green returns.

Today also marked the first time Brandon Thompson and Cedric Peerman have practiced with the team this season. Thompson was cleared to practice yesterday and Peerman today. Thompson has spent the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list while Peerman has been on Injured Reserve. Both can now practice for three weeks before officially joining the 53-man roster. Though, the Bengals could add one or both of them to the roster before then. The Bengals currently have one open spot on the roster. It’s likely Peerman will be added to the 53-man roster by Sunday and will play against the Ravens. For Thompson, he can practice with the team for three weeks before the Bengals decide to add him to the roster, place him on season-ending IR or cut him.

Be sure to check back later for the full practice and injury report, which will include the reason LaFell sat out on Wednesday.