CINCINNATI -- Apologies for being a little later than normal getting this injury report posted. It's been a relatively newsy day on the Cincinnati Bengals beat.

Some of Wednesday's most important on-field news as far as the Bengals are concerned revolved around running back Giovani Bernard, who made his return to practice from hip and clavicle injuries for the first time in nearly a month. Working out in a limited capacity inside the University of Cincinnati's indoor practice bubble, Bernard went through many of the same drills as the rest of the running backs. As part of his limited status, he received repetitions behind rookie Jeremy Hill.

The Bengals trained at the college for the first time this year because temperatures and wind didn't allow for favorable practice conditions.

Hill has been the Bengals' workhorse in the backfield lately, getting the bulk of the carries in Bernard's absence the past three games. In two of them -- versus Jacksonville and at New Orleans on Sunday -- Hill rushed for more than 150 yards.

Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said Wednesday that he felt Hill "deserved" more opportunities to be part of the Bengals' game plan in the coming weeks as Bernard returns to the fold.

"Jeremy has done tremendous and he earns the right to play, there's no question about that," Jackson said.

Before Bernard went down, Hill was the No. 2 back. He averaged nine touches (includes both rushes and receptions) for 46.6 total yards in the seven games. In the three games Bernard missed, Hill saw an average of 22 touches, and collected 129.6 yards of offense per game. From a yards standpoint, his production increased nearly three times what it was in the games Bernard played.

So yes, it does stand to reason that Hill earned a few extra chances when the Bengals soon get back to having a pair of healthy backs.

In addition to Bernard's return to practice, offensive tackle Andre Smith also made it back, practicing for the first time since going into a boot last week. He suffered an ankle injury against Jacksonville three weeks ago, and has been replaced the past two games by backup Marshall Newhouse. With the Bengals facing the all-world J.J. Watt in Houston this Sunday, Smith's addition could be a welcomed jolt. Watt is a defensive end who is an offensive line's nightmare.

While Bernard and Smith made it back to practice, linebacker Vontaze Burfict and cornerback Terence Newman weren't so lucky. There's still a chance both could return this week, but it seems most likely at this point that Burfict won't be back until next week at the earliest. The two defenders did go through conditioning and rehab work off to the side Wednesday. It was the first time for Burfict, who missed the past two games because of arthroscopic knee surgery. Newman missed Sunday's game because of a knee injury, but he did take it through some light jogging hours before the game.

Here's the Bengals' full Wednesday injury report, one of their smallest of this injury-filled season:

DID NOT PRACTICE

LB Vontaze Burfict (knee)

CB Terence Newman (knee)

DE Wallace Gilberry (back)

DE Margus Hunt (ankle)

LIMITED PRACTICE PARTICIPATION

RB Giovani Bernard (hip/clavicle)

RB Cedric Peerman (hip)

OG Kevin Zeitler (calf)

FULL PRACTICE PARTICIPATION

OT Andre Smith (ankle)