National Football League

Bengals WR Hawkins sprains ankle

Published Aug. 10, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Bengals receiver Andrew Hawkins will wear a cast for 10 days to try to heal his sprained left ankle, making it doubtful he'll be ready for the season opener.

Coach Marvin Lewis said Saturday that Hawkins will be evaluated again when the cast is removed and the club will have a better idea how long he'll be sidelined.

"It allows the opportunity to make sure we don't inadvertently injure it more," Lewis said. "It gives it a chance to settle down and begin to mend. He's very optimistic that he'll be ready to go at some point here, so we'll see.

"At least for the next 10 days or so he's going to be in this cast. Then we'll have a little better update after that."

If he's not ready for the opener Sept. 8 in Chicago, he could be placed on injured reserve with an opportunity to return at some point during the season. Teams can designate one player on injured reserve as available to return. Otherwise, a player is out for the season.

"Right now he has a chance to be a candidate for that at this point," Lewis said.

Hawkins was Cincinnati's second-leading wide receiver last year with 51 catches for 533 yards and four touchdowns. He sprained the ankle while trying to make a catch during practice on Aug. 1 and was carted off the field.

All-Pro receiver A.J. Green has been sidelined since he bruised his left knee while trying to make an acrobatic sideline catch in the opening practice of camp on July 25. Green didn't accompany the team to Atlanta, where Cincinnati won its preseason opener 34-10 on Thursday night.

Green didn't practice on Saturday in Cincinnati. Lewis said he's improving and it's possible he could return to practice next week. The Bengals play the Titans at Paul Brown Stadium next Saturday night.

Also on Saturday, the Bengals signed guard Otis Hudson, a second-year player who was on their practice squad in 2010 and on the roster for seven games last season. The Bengals drafted Hudson in the fifth round in 2010. He has never appeared in a game.