5 Bengals dealing with injury will not play in preseason finale

Don’t expect to see the large majority of Cincinnati Bengals starters playing tonight when kickoff arrives against the Indianapolis Colts.

In the final preseason game of the year, the starters will rest and the backups will prove their worth with roster cuts coming on Saturday.

Before kickoff, the Bengals announced running back Jeremy Hill, running back Tra Carson, safety Shawn Williams, tight end Mason Schreck and tight end C.J. Uzomah would not play on Thursday.

But, expect that list to be much longer. Those are simply the players not participating due to injury.

With Carson out, expect to see a lot of undrafted rookie Jarveon Williams tonight. He’s fighting for a practice squad spot or auditioning for a roster spot on another team. It’s unfortunate Carson is out as he’s fighting for one of the final roster spots on the team after Cedric Peerman was placed on Injured Reserve earlier this week.

Hill injured his ankle in the third preseason game against the Redskins, but is expected to be ready for Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens. Carson also was injured in that game, though the exact injury is unknown.

Williams was injured in the second preseason game and his dislocated elbow is expected to cost him a few regular season games. Schreck injured his MCL in the third preseason game, but it’s unclear how serious the injury is or if it will cost him his roster spot. Uzomah sprained his ankle in training camp and though he’s not expected to return for a few weeks, he is expected to retain his roster spot and be on the 53-man roster come Week 1.