Pat Sims (92) is back in the fold.

The Bengals opted to go back to an experienced hand at nose tackle Tuesday when they re-signed 10-year man Pat Sims and released rookie Josh Tupou.

With rookie middle linebacker Hardy Nickerson still on the active 53-man roster, that indicates that they're thin at backer.  Vincent Rey (hamstring) never returned after getting hurt early in the second quarter last Sunday in Denver and veteran middle linebacker Kevin Minter (elbow) has missed the last four games.

The Bengals' trend this season has been leaning to youth, but Sims, 31, their oldest draft pick as a third-rounder in 2008, gets the nod. He's been in plenty of play-off pushes in his eight seasons with Cincinnati while Tupou, undrafted out of Colorado, was on the practice squad until he made his NFL debut Nov. 12 in Tennessee. He was inactive last week in Denver with the Bengals down two cornerbacks.