By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer

Peter Warrick participated in a limited way in practice Thursday.

The fifth-year wide receiver, working to come back from a December knee injury and surgery, did not wear a helmet or his practice jersey. But he did run some agility drills with the other receivers.

It remained unclear whether Warrick would make his preseason debut Saturday night at Atlanta against the Falcons.

"There are some concerns," offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said of Warrick's health. "It has been a long time since he practiced."

A handful of other players did not practice: cornerback Deltha O'Neal (ankle), tight end Matt Schobel (hamstring), fullback Alex Wade (knee), defensive end Robert Geathers (unknown), offensive lineman Scott Kooistra (knee) and wide receiver Kelley Washington (ankle).

GETTING A LOOK: With Warrick out, veteran Patrick Johnson is getting a chance to show what he can do in the slot.

Signed in the offseason, Johnson was slowed early in training camp by a leg injury. He played Saturday night against New England, though, and caught a 42-yard pass from Jon Kitna.

Johnson could play in the three-wide set with Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh against Atlanta.

CUT UP: The Falcons game will be the last chance for several on-the-bubble Bengals. The team has 74 players on its roster and must get down to the league-mandated 65 by 4 p.m. Tuesday. Nine players will go who are currently with the team.

FAMILIAR FACE: Former Bengals safety Cory Hall, who signed with Atlanta after the 2003 season, is the Falcons' starting free safety. Hall, who missed five games because of injury in 2003, started 10 of the 11 games he played in. He played primarily strong safety last season.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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