Chris Samuels will not play in Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, head coach Jim Zorn said.
Samuels suffered a stinger to his neck early in the first quarter of last Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Carolina Panthers. He did not return to the game.
Samuels was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday to further evaluate the injury.
"He got popped and he had some tingling," Zorn said. "We're just checking it out."
Samuels will sit out Sunday's game against the Chiefs "just to quiet this thing down," Zorn added.
Samuels has been diagnosed with stenosis, a narrowing of the spine. It's the reason he wears large neck pads every game.
Asked about the long-term implications of Samuels' injury, Zorn replied: "I could not answer that question yet. He isn't even back [from the MRI] yet. We're still working through that."
D'Anthony Batiste replaced Samuels in the lineup during the Panthers game, but Zorn expects to go a different direction next Sunday.
Zorn said he expects to move Stephon Heyer to left tackle and insert Mike Williams at right tackle for the Chiefs game.
Williams made his first start since 2005 in the Panthers game and lined up at right guard. He replaced Chad Rinehart, who was demoted.
Williams was unconcerned about the position switch. He played mostly right tackle during his four-year stint with the Buffalo Bills from 2002-05.
"Playing right guard and playing right tackle--it's not that much different," he said. "It's not like being switched to the other side of the line where your mechanics are entirely opposite."
At right guard, Will Montgomery and Chad Rinehart are back in the mix for the starting job.
Asked where Rinehart stands after his demotion, Zorn said: "He is going to be in the mix. I mean, he is going to be part of our solution. So is Will Montgomery. We're going to look at all of those things."
Zorn acknowledged that the team's injury situation along the offensive line was less than ideal.
The unit is already without Randy Thomas, who suffered a season-ending triceps injury in Week 2.
Against Carolina, Jason Campbell was under pressure throughout the game and was sacked three times.
"You can only do what you have right now," Zorn said. "Even during the game, we could do what we could do. My responsibility--and it really is my responsibility--is to even have that work because it's a sequence of plays that sustain drives.
"I was unable to do that. It's my responsibility because I am the play-caller and I am choosing the play out there. I'm putting our guys at risk every play. That's my job. They put themselves at risk every play, that's their job."
