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The Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns are getting hit hard on the injury front ahead of their Week 4 clash.
For the Bengals, Wednesday’s practice saw Tyler Eifert (back) and John Ross (knee) remain out. Don’t expect either of them to play in Week 4, though Ross has a chance if he can practice Thursday.
While those two remain out, the Bengals got two big additions Wednesday with Vontaze Burfict and Trey Hopkins (knee). Burfict is coming off a three-game suspension. He wasn’t listed on the injury report, but he probably needs to get his conditioning up to game shape.
Hopkins is recovering a knee injury sustained in Week 1, which kept him out of practice until now. If he’s healthy enough to play, Hopkins could go back to his right guard spot on Sunday, though he was limited Wednesday. My guess is he needs at least two full practices before returning to the starting lineup.
The Bengals’ secondary could be thin this week if Shawn Williams (knee) and/or Derron Smith (ankle) sit out. Williams suffered a knee injury in the Week 3 loss at Green Bay. Smith missed the game due to his lingering ankle issue. That led to cornerback Josh Shaw spending a lot of time at safety against the Packers.
George Iloka (hamstring) was limited Wednesday after briefly leaving Sunday’s game, though he returned to finish out the loss in Green Bay. Even so, having three safeties banged up is not ideal.
The Browns are hurting big time entering Sunday, especially on defense. Myles Garrett (ankle), the top pick in this year’s NFL Draft, remains out of practice with his injury. He looks doubtful to make his NFL debut this week.
Pro Bowl linebacker Jamie Collins has a concussion that kept him out of practice on Wednesday. If Collins and Garrett miss this game, the Bengals’ struggling offense should have a field day.
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns Injury Report
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