CINCINNATI -- When they enter University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday night, the Cincinnati Bengals ought to be a little closer to having a full playing roster than it appeared earlier this week.
At the very least, defensive tackle Geno Atkins and quarterback Jason Campbell will be good to go after working their way back from injuries this week. Coach Marvin Lewis said Friday afternoon that both would be in the lineup this weekend.
"Geno will go out there with the first group and roll around a little bit," Lewis said. "He's had a great couple of weeks of practice, and he looks like Geno so I'm impressed with that."
For Atkins, Sunday's game will be the first one he has been a part of since last October when he was lost for the 2013 season with an ACL tear on Halloween night. Campbell will be returning after spending the past two weeks sidelined with a bruised elbow. He took a shot in the third quarter of the Bengals' preseason opener at Kansas City when a defender's helmet made contact with his throwing elbow after an attempted pass.
Campbell participated in practice all this week and threw every day. He tested his arm's strength with a little velocity and distance during Thursday's workout.
Atkins was held out of Friday's practice, but Lewis said that inactivity had no bearing on his playing status Sunday.
Among other players whose status Lewis and the training staff will be keeping an eye on between now and kickoff are offensive tackle Andre Smith and receiver Dane Sanzenbacher. Smith said earlier this week that he hoped to get some extended snaps in at some point during one of the two upcoming preseason games following a concussion he was diagnosed with near the start of training camp. He hasn't appeared in either of the first two preseason games because of the injury.
"We have to see where Andre is, he and Sanzenbacher yet," Lewis said. "They've gone through the week and done what they're supposed to do that way, and now it's just up to the other people to make their judgments."
Sanzenbacher's injury was never disclosed, but he took one hard shot last Saturday against the Jets when he delivered a hard hit on a punt return. It's unclear if that play was related to his problem. After missing Monday, Sanzenbacher practiced the rest of the week.
Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis also are worth keeping tabs on after both missed practice time due to a stomach virus that has been spreading around the team the past two weeks. It's the same virus linebacker Vontaze Burfict has had, and one that could keep him from playing in a type of homecoming game. Burfict played at nearby Arizona State in college.
With the aforementioned injury issues in mind, here's a rundown of the players who were out during the early and open-to-media portion of Friday's practice, one that was attended by several Atlanta Braves including Chris Johnson, Gerald Laird and Ryan Doumit. The Braves are in Cincinnati this weekend as part of a three-game series against the Reds.
As you read this list of injured players, remember that teams aren't required to publish a daily injury report during the preseason:
Did Not Practice
DT Geno Atkins (knee)
LB Vontaze Burfict (stomach bug)
OT Andrew Whitworth (undisclosed)
RB Rex Burkhead (knee)
QB Tyler Wilson (head)
LB J.K. Schaffer (head)
WR Marvin Jones (foot)
CB Dre Kirkpatrick (stomach bug)
RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (hip/stomach bug)
CB Lavelle Westbrooks (undisclosed)
Appeared Limited
CB Darqueze Dennard (hip)
Returned to Practice
DE David King (undisclosed)
OL Mike Pollak (knee)