The Bengals haven’t announced any roster moves yet, but one of the ones they make to get to 53 players looks like it will be placing linebacker Emmanuel Lamur on injured reserve.
Lamur left Thursday night’s preseason finale early with a shoulder injury and Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reports that he will not return during the 2013 season.
Lamur didn’t play as much nor did he earn as much acclaim as Vontaze Burfict, but he did give the Bengals a pair of undrafted success stories at linebacker last season. Lamur didn’t make his debut until the ninth week of the season, but he racked up 19 tackles on defense and special teams between that point and the end of the year. He was expected to be a key special teamer in Cincinnati this year while also backing up James Harrison at outside linebacker.
Jayson DiManche and J.K. Schaffer likely see their chances of making the initial 53-man roster increase with Lamur’s injury, but it also likely increases the chance that the Bengals look for outside help at the position which serves as a reminder that the 53-man roster in place at 5 p.m. on Saturday is nothing more than a starting point for all 32 NFL teams.