The Cincinnati Bengals begin their preseason slate tonight against the Detroit Lions, but not everyone on the 90-man roster is going to see the field.

Cincinnati has already declared a handful of players out leading up to kickoff, and a few more remain on the fence regarding their health.

Here are the players who will not suit up for the Bengals’ preseason opener.

B.J. Hill

Bengals veteran defensive tackle B.J. Hill has not yet practiced in training camp, spending the last few weeks on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Hill is still recovering from a procedure he underwent during the offseason for his foot.

I expect Hill will be practicing before the preseason concludes. Whether or not he plays in either of the next two contests is another thing entirely.  

Shemar Stewart

Second-year defensive end Shemar Stewart suffered a hyperextended knee during the first practice of training camp. Coach Zac Taylor said he would be out for several weeks, and Stewart has not practiced since.

Stewart may not play the entirety of the preseason, and will definitely not suit up tonight.

Dax Hill

Cornerback Dax Hill suffered a leg injury last week during training camp and was a limited participant throughout the remainder of the week. Hill did not practice this week and will not play in the preseason opener.

It doesn’t sound like Hill’s injury is of major concern, and the team will evaluate where he is next week.

Bryan Cook

Cincinnati’s new $40.25 million starting safety is in a similar boat as Hill. Bryan Cook was dinged up last week and did not practice Tuesday. Like Hill, his injury is not believed to be anything serious, and because it’s the preseason, he is going to be held out of the game.

Cook has had an impressive training camp and comes in with a lot of experience. It’s not the end of the world for him to have his debut delayed by at least a week.

Erick All Jr.

The Bengals’ promising young tight end has been a full participant in training camp coming back from double ACL surgery, but the team is still being cautious with Erick All Jr.

All will not play in this game. It would not be a surprise for him to play at least a little bit in one of the next two exhibitions, but that is another decision for the coaches to make.

Connor Lew

A fourth-round pick from this year’s NFL Draft, Connor Lew has been active for every training camp practice coming off his own torn ACL suffered last October while still in college at Auburn. Lew has made good progress as now the backup center, but the team is not rushing him out there before they need him to.

I do expect Lew to play at least one preseason game before the month ends, but Cincinnati wants to give him a little more time before that happens.

Players on the fence

A few other Bengals were informed their availability yesterday, but that information won’t be known publicly until later today. Second-round pick Cashius Howell and third-round pick Tacario Davis were each held out of practice Tuesday, and Taylor didn’t want to say whether or not they would play tonight. At the very least, their reps may be very limited in their debuts.

“I think that’s why I’m a little limited right now,” Taylor told reporters Tuesday. “Just on some guys that we’re kind of limiting day to day and making decisions for on Thursday, so I’m not quick enough right now to say who’s gonna be full go yet because there’s just some guys that I just really want to manage through this week and we’ll make some decisions if they’re playing tomorrow or not.”

Nickelback Jalen Davis is also on the fence, having missed a handful of practices recently, including Tuesday’s final session before the preseason opener. It would not be a surprise to see him miss this game. Davis is already in the lead to be Cincinnati’s starting slot cornerback, giving the team little reason to push him.