Bengals would like to give QB Palmer more time

A sprained left ankle already had Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer miss a lot of practices and last week’s preseason game; it may still prevent him from Thursday’s preseason game against the St. Louis Rams.

Palmer had some light tossing Sunday, but still did not take part in team practices. According to Coach Marvin Lewis, it was a precaution to avoid what happened last season, during which Palmer missed much of the season with an elbow injury.

“If last week had been a regular-season game, he probably would have played. But we are going to continue to be cautious, because it is just preseason,” said Lewis. He also said that the team expects Palmer to get some more time with the first unit before the preseason is over. And the most important thing for the team right now is to have Palmer return in 100 percent health by the time of season opener against the Denver Broncos.