Richard Skinner

rskinner@nky.com

Right guard Kevin Zeitler returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since he suffered a right calf injury in the third quarter of the Atlanta game on Sept. 14.

He was officially listed as a limited participant and it's too early to discern if he will play in Sunday's game.

Zeitler said before practice that it's been hard to watch and not play the last two games, but that trying to rush back would have been foolish.

"You realize if you don't take care of it right it could come back to bite you especially when it's late in the season when you'll really be needed," he said. "The key is you're a professional; keep your habits up. Make sure you stay in shape in the weight room or however you can, make sure you eat right and don't let your body get away from you during this time. Do everything you can to promote healing. You can look at the positives: it lets the rest of my body heal, get stronger in the weight room and mentally just watch film of future opponents."

Mike Pollak, who started in Zeitler's place against Tennessee and at New England did not practice on Wednesday. He has been taking a day off each week due to recurring knee soreness.

Linebacker Vinny Rey also didn't practice due to a calf injury and defensive tackle Brandon Thompson is still out with a knee injury he suffered in the Atlanta game.

Those in addition to Zeitler and Green who were limited participants in Wednesday's practice were linebacker Rey Maualuga (shoulder) and safety George Iloka (abdomen).

PORTER'S BAD LUCK: Second-year linebacker Sean Porter had no injury issues in college, but in his two years as a Bengal he has suffered a shoulder injury, a hamstring injury and then a torn ACL on the first regular-season play he ever participated in Sunday's loss at England. Porter suffered the injury while covering the opening kickoff, which resulted in a touchback. He was placed on season-ended injured reserve on Tuesday.

"It's just a bad run of things," said Lewis. "They've all been things that have been basically non-contact. That's the shame of it. He's got to just weather the storm. I know he's got the ability to be a productive player. He's just got to overcome these physical setbacks."

LEWIS LOVED NEWTON: Because the Bengals had the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft there was a possibility of the team selecting quarterback Cam Newton if he was available so Lewis and some members of his staff spent time with him leading up to the draft and came away extremely impressed with him.

"He had IT," said Lewis. "Just as pretty as pretty as he is everyday that's the way he lights up the room every time he walks in. He walked in the student union at Auburn and he lit it up like that. He lit it up on the practice field. He lit it up in the stadium when we were there a couple of times with him watching him. He lit it up when he walked in this building (Paul Brown Stadium) and when we took him out in public. He lights it up. He's got it. It's on display every week."

Newton was selected first overall instead by Carolina, while the Bengals took Green with the fourth pick.

TWO PLAYERS ADDED: A day after the Bengals acquired rookie linebacker Khairi Fortt on waivers from the New Orleans Saints to replace injured linbacker Sean Porter on the 53-man roster they signed guard/center Jeff Baca to the practice squad to replace Trevor Robinson, who signed with the San Diego Chargers on Monday.

Baca is a second-year NFL player who was a sixth-round selection by Minnesota in the 2013 draft and was on the Vikings roster for all of last season, playing in four games and inactive for 12. He played in all four Vikings preseason games this season and was waived on Aug. 30.

Fortt was a fourth-round selection by the Saints in this year's draft. He was with the Saints in preseason and played in two games before suffering a leg injury. He was placed Sept. 3 on the reserve/injured list (designated for possible return).

"He's got good athleticism," said Lewis. "He's got a chance to grow up into being the stature and the body type of an NFL linebacker."