CINCINNATI -- As had been expected, the Cincinnati Bengals will be without their starting "Sam" linebacker Monday night when they host the Denver Broncos.
Emmanuel Lamur was one of seven inactives for the Bengals after appearing on the injury report all this week with a hamstring issue that cropped up late in last week's game at Cleveland. He practiced in a limited capacity Saturday, and had been expected to test out the injury before the game.
He didn't come out onto the field within the four-hour pregame window that injured Bengals typically give their tweaked injuries a go. Coach Marvin Lewis was optimistic over the weekend that having the extra day to prepare for Monday's game might be just enough for the hamstring to get healthy. Apparently it wasn't.
Officially, Lamur will be replaced by rookie Marquis Flowers at "Sam" linebacker. In his pass-coverage responsibilities, though, Lamur will be replaced by safety Taylor Mays, who spent the week in linebackers' meetings. Mays played that spot parts of last season before he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 8. He was playing in place of Lamur, who missed all season with a hurt shoulder.
In addition to Lamur's absence Monday, the Bengals also will miss defensive tackle Devon Still. It's the second game he has been declared inactive, and the third contest he has missed this season. The third-year player wasn't on the 53-man roster for the season opener.
With Still inactive, the Bengals kept active two promising young backup defensive ends to help bolster the team's pass-rushing depth. Margus Hunt and Will Clarke presumably will play at points in the game. The rookie Clarke has seen his playing time increase in recent weeks, getting a season-high 19 snaps in last week's game, according to ESPN Stats & Information. His playing time spike correlated with Hunt being injured the last four games.
The Bengals also will give starts to veteran Eric Winston at right offensive tackle, and Jeremy Hill at running back. This will be the second straight week that Hill will be the starter with a healthy Giovani Bernard. Hill's only other starts this season came when Bernard was injured.
Here is the full list of inactives for both teams:
Bengals inactives
QB AJ McCarron
LB Emmanuel Lamur
DT Devon Still
WR James Wright
WR Greg Little
Broncos inactives
CB Tony Carter
OT Paul Cornick
