Posted: 5 p.m.
With the Bengals closed down until they practice Monday afternoon at Georgetown College, there is no telling when there will be news on quarterback Carson Palmer 's status for Thursday night's game in New England.
Given the way Palmer and head coach Marvin Lewis weren't as definitive in the postgame about Palmer's return next week on his mildly sprained ankle as they were during the game, look for the Bengals to handle Palmer cautiously. Plus, with only six days between games, they have to decide if that's enough recovery time to send him back out there and decide to sit him. But Lewis doesn't meet the media until Monday afternoon.
Palmer was adamant after the game that there was no structural damage and that nothing was broken or torn, so all indications were that it's not an injury that is going to interfere with the regular season.
DEAL OR NO DEAL: Since the agent for No. 1 pick Andre Smith sent the Bengals a proposal earlier this week, there has been no indication the club has responded.
Friday's deal for the eighth pick, Eugene Monroe in Jacksonville, could have an impact. Both Smith and Monroe play the same position, and the Jaguars figure to do a deal more inside the lines than the Raiders deal at No. 7 that netted $38 million in total.
Monroe's deal has been reported at $35.4 million, but a key thing is going to be how much of that does he have to make in escalators and how reachable are the escalators. Alvin Keels didn't say what his "fair proposal" is when he Twittered it on Wednesday but the speculation is given he's repping the No. 6 guy he's looking for more than what the Raiders gave No. 7, a controversial contract that was more than 20 percent of a hike over last year.
