Bengals injury list grows with absence of Pro Bowler

An already substantial injury list grew larger for the Cincinnati Bengals as Pro Bowl defensive tackle Geno Atkins sat out with a toe issue after he was a full participant Wednesday.

Atkins was one of nine players who did not practice Thursday, seven of whom are starters — cornerbacks Adam Jones (groin) and Dre Kirkpatrick (concussion), running back Joe Mixon (concussion), linebackers Vontaze Burfict (concussion) and Nick Vigil (ankle) and safety Shawn Williams (hamstring).

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Cornerback Darquze Dennard (knee) and safety Brandon Wilson (ankle) also missed practice, while linebacker Vinny Rey (hamstring) was limited for the second day in a row.

And the team placed wide receiver John Ross (shoulder) on season-ending Injured Reserve on Wednesday.

Dennard and Rey have the best chance of playing Sunday against the Bears, but that still would leave the Bengals with only 45 active players, meaning they likely would place another player on IR (with Vigil being the most likely candidate) and promote someone from the practice squad. That most likely would be cornerback Tony McRae given the lack of depth the team currently has in the secondary.

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