Bengals Early Bird Special

Good morning everyone. I hope you all made it through your Tuesday with relative ease. If not, then don't worry because it's Wednesday and the week is halfway over. It's all downhill from this point.

Pat Sims is expected to return to practice next week after rehabbing from a knee injury that he suffered last year. When Sims returns to action it will mark the first time this season that he has suited up for the Bengals and return to the gridiron. Sims was a victim of the lockout because teams weren't allowed to rehab players. Hopefully Sims can make contributions on the defensive side of the ball at some point in the near future. If anything Sims will provide some depth.

Here's a look at what you may have missed or overlooked from Tuesday.

• Jermaine Gresham missed practice for the second day in a row.
• Offensive line coach Paul Alexander defends guard Nate Livings after his poor performance against the Detroit Lions in the preseason opener.
• Former Bengals tight end Reggie Kelly has come to a contract agreement with the Atlanta Falcons. Glad to see Kelly land on his feet and find a job with another team.
• ESPN columnist Rick Reilly called out Bengals owner Mike Brown by calling him "cheaper than your local goodwill." And every Bengals fan already knew that.....
• The Bengals are currently $27.7 million under the cap according to NFL Network's Jason La Canfora. Hopefully that money will go towards re-signing some of our future free agents.
• With the release of defensive end Tank Johnson and tight end Garrett Mills, it signifies the team's continuing youth movement. 
• On Tuesday night Jonathan Fanene officially rejoined the Bengals by suiting up for practice after recently agreeing to a one-year deal.
• Thanks to the departure of Johnathan Joseph, who signed with the Houston Texans, Leon Hall will have to learn how to play both sides. Hopefully this will be a transition that Hall can make before the regular season.
• Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer believes that the pass coverage and defense can be improved. Let's hope the results are better against the New York Jets this Sunday.
• The Bengals are set to host UFL receiver Calvin Russellfor a visit according to Geoff Hobson.