Cedric Ogbuehi returns, Jake Fisher still out and more news from Bengals OTAs

The Bengals hit the practice field Tuesday for another round of organized team activities.

This week is the last voluntary portion of OTAs, so it shouldn't be a surprise that some players remain absent. It's only going to be a real story if they don't show up to next week's mandatory minicamp.

One of the few players who hasn't been present thus far is linebacker Rey Maualuga. After not being present for the past two weeks, Maualuga did appear at Tuesday's OTA, but didn't do any work. It's unclear why he wasn't present during the open media practices thus far and isn't working today, so hopefully he's back on the field working next week for mandatory minicamp. He'll definitely be in Cincinnati since he's hosting the Taste of the NFL event next Wednesday.

Making his return to practice was second-year tackle Cedric Ogbuehi. He missed last week with a minor injury that wasn't notable enough to keep him out more than a few weeks. With Andrew Whitworth getting a veteran's rest day Tuesday, Ogbuehi was working at left tackle, despite being projected as a right tackle in the NFL. It probably doesn't mean much right now, but it is something to keep in mind once training camp opens.

Speaking of Whit, he, linebacker Vontaze Burfict and cornerback Adam Jones were present but not practicing as it looked like the veterans got the day off.

One other notable player who wasn't present was second-year tackle Jake Fisher. He missed last week for unknown reasons, so seeing him out again this week is a bit concerning. Fisher needs all the work he can get as he looks to earn more playing time in Year 2, so this is something to monitor going forward.

As long as Fisher is healthy, he's going to get work at multiple spots along the offensive line and may even be in the running for the starting right tackle spot left vacated by Andre Smith. Obviously Fisher isn't going to win anything if he's hurt, but again, we can't put too much stock into players missing voluntary workouts.

With Fisher and Whit sitting out, the Bengals gave backup guard Trey Hopkins some rare work at left tackle. He's been used exclusively as a guard through his first two years in the pros, though he did start 14 games at right tackle during his college career at Texas.

Hopkins is already facing tough odds to make the final 53-man roster this year as just a backup guard, so having some versatility could help him make the final roster. If nothing else, this will help increase the likelihood he's signed to the practice squad if he clears waivers.

Also getting more work along the offensive line was veteran Eric Winston, who worked at right tackle Tuesday while Ogbuehi was on the left side. Winston is probably going to make the final roster as a backup tackle, though he can also play guard and he was listed as a backup there last season.