CINCINNATI -- In an effort to make up for the loss of cornerback Terence Newman to injury, the Cincinnati Bengals made a pair of roster moves Thursday involving their secondary.
Cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris was re-signed to the 53-man roster after spending the past three weeks on the practice squad. He took the place of safety Tony Dye, who was waived.
Lewis-Harris has spent the season bouncing between the 53-man and practice squad rosters. He has played in three games, spending much of his time on special teams. While he would primarily play special teams if active Sunday night when the Bengals visit Pittsburgh, his addition also is a sign Cincinnati is trying to shore up its defensive backfield depth.
Second-year corner Dre Kirkpatrick is expected to take over at the second cornerback position with Newman out one to three weeks with an MCL sprain. The other starting corner will be Adam Jones, who has played in place of Leon Hall since Hall's season-ending Achilles tear Week 7 at Detroit.
As for Dye, the former practice squad player had been on the 53-man roster since Cincinnati's Nov. 17 game against the Cleveland Browns. That day, while appearing on the Bengals' punt coverage unit, he scooped and scored off a blocked punt. The 24-yard return extended a Bengals lead, and was a key play in turning the momentum of a game that became a rout.
