The Cincinnati Bengals announced Saturday that the NFL has suspended starting right guard Bobbie Williams for the first four games of the season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
"We anticipated this would occur," Bengals coach Marvin Lewistold The Cincinnati Enquirer. "It is nothing that has come as a surprise from our end, and it is something we have prepared for."
Still, it's a significant loss for the Bengals since Williams has started 68 consecutive games and 109 out of a possible 112 since joining the team in 2004. He spent his first four NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Veteran guard Max Jean-Gilles, another ex-Eagle, also was one of the Bengals' 22 roster cuts Saturday, putting Otis Hudson and Clint Boling in position to move into the starting lineup.
The Bengals released third-string quarterback Dan LeFevour as well, meaning they'll got with two quarterbacks -- Andy Dalton and Bruce Gradkowski.
The Bengals also placed cornerback Adam Jones (neck) on the physically unable to perform list and linebacker Keith Rivers (wrist) on the reserve/non-football injury list. Both players are eligible to return to practice after Week 6 under a roster exemption, then the Bengals would have three weeks to add them to the active roster.
Linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy (Achilles) and tight end Bo Scaife (neck) were placed on the season-ending reserve/injured list.
Other releases included fullbacks Fui Vakapuna and James Develin, cornerbacks Jonathan Wade, Brandon Ghee, David Pender, Korey Lindsey and Rico Murray, tight end John Nalbone, defensive tackles Jason Shirley and Cornell Banks, defensive ends Victor Adeyanju and James Ruffin, receiver Calvin Russell, linebacker DeQuin Evans, running backs Jay Finley and John Griffin, receiver Andrew Hawkins, offensive tackle Matthew O'Donnell, offensive guard Chris Riley and kicker Thomas Weber.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.