Bengals safety Shawn Williams was carted off the field early in Sunday night’s game after suffering a right elbow injury that was later diagnosed as a dislocation.
That’s the same injury that ended tight end Tyler Eifert’s 2014 campaign after just a few snaps, but the early word from the team is that Williams’ injury won’t result in the same kind of absence. Geoff Hobson of the team’s website reports that the early hope is that Williams will miss 4-6 weeks or that he could go on injured reserve and return to action if the timeline is longer.
Defensive back Josh Shaw, who could see more time at safety with Williams out, said it was hard to hear his teammate scream after getting hurt.
“Shawn’s a tough guy. To hear him yelling like that, it can’t be good,” Shaw said. “That’s a big hole to fill. Shawn’s a good player.”
Williams’ injury leaves the Bengals shorthanded at safety. George Iloka and rookie Brandon Wilson are both currently out with knee injuries, leaving Shaw (who also plays corner), Derron Smith, Clayton Fejedelem and Demetrius Cox as healthy options.