Bengals starting tight end Jermaine Gresham won't begin training camp on the field Thursday after the Bengals put him on the active/physically unable to perform list (PUP) Wednesday with a back issue.
Gresham, a two-time Pro Bowler heading into his fifth season, missed all of the spring sessions. Defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi (tooth) is also out with a non-football injury. Bilukidi, starting his third NFL season, played in the final three games last year after signing with the club Nov. 20.
Back in May Lewis said he expected Gresham to be ready for camp and on Tuesday he said he expected all players coming back from injury to be ready for the Sept. 7 regular-season opener in Baltimore.
Tight end Tyler Eifert, who missed virtually all of the spring camps with a bruised shoulder, appears to be ready to work and he'll be joined by free agent rookie Ryan Hewitt of Stanford and second-year man Kevin Brock, a veteran of six teams with five NFL catches.
