By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis moves into training camp. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

GEORGETOWN, Ky. - A steady stream of SUVs and pickups barreled into the Georgetown College athletic complex Sunday when Bengals players reported for training camp.

But the most notable bits of transportation news were made by a pickup that left and a car that didn't show up in time for the mandatory 5 p.m. meeting.

Three-time Pro Bowl running back Corey Dillon was the only player under contract absent, and coach Marvin Lewis released a statement through a team spokesman 90 minutes later.

"We have not heard from (Dillon)," Lewis said. "We hope and presume he's OK."

Dillon showed up at 11 p.m., eight hours after the three-hour reporting window had closed. He had missed his flight from the West Coast.

Lewis would not say whether Dillon will be fined. NFL rules allow teams to fine a player up to $5,000 a day for an unexcused training camp absence.

Earlier Sunday, rookie first-round draft choice Carson Palmer wheeled a shiny, new blue pickup into the dormitory area. Second-round pick Eric Steinbach stepped out of the passenger door and, a few minutes later, drove Palmer's truck back to Cincinnati.

Steinbach, , the projected starter at left guard, and third-round pick Kelley Washington, a wide receiver from Tennessee, remain the team's only unsigned rookies. On Sunday, the team's two fourth-round picks, cornerback Dennis Weathersby and fullback Jeremi Johnson, each signed three-year contracts at Georgetown.

Palmer had picked up Steinbach, his road roommate, at the airport, and Steinbach's luggage was in the pickup bed.

"My job is to go back to Cincinnati and wait for the phone call," Steinbach said before driving off. "When I come down, I'll be ready to roll. As soon as I get the phone call, I shoot back down. It's an hour ride. My orders are to go back, so that's what I'm going to do."

Jack Bechta, Steinbach's agent, did not return phone messages left Sunday.

The sticking point in negotiations is believed to be the Bengals' unexpectedly tight salary cap. Their current offer apparently does not make Steinbach the highest-paid second-round pick, even though he was the round's first overall pick.

Steinbach said he didn't know what was holding up a contract. Asked if he were confident a deal would be done soon, he said, "I hope so. The ball's in their court."

Washington's agent, Glenn Rosenberg, did not return a phone message Sunday.

Asked if he anticipated a holdout by Steinbach or Washington, Lewis said, "There could be a possibility of that, but that's the way it is. They could sprain their ankle out there just as quick. We're going to move on. Their people have their thing to work for, and we have our thing to get done. At some point, it's going to come to a split in the middle and everything's going to work out fine."

Terms for the Weathersby and Johnson deals were not available, though Weathersby - the top pick in the fourth round - apparently did receive the round's largest signing bonus.

Weathersby, from Oregon State, was the 98th overall pick in the draft. He set a school record with 57 passes defensed. He has been cleared to practice, following an April 20 incident in Duarte, Calif., in which he was the victim of a drive-by-shooting.

Last week's release of defensive back LaVar Glover makes Weathersby the second-stringer at left cornerback behind Tory James, according to the Bengals media guide.

Johnson, from Western Kentucky, was the 118th overall pick in the draft. He is running third at fullback on the depth chart, behind Chris Edmonds and Terry Witherspoon.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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