CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall is well ahead of schedule in his comeback from a torn Achilles tendon, inspiring hope that he could be ready for the start of training camp next month.
Hall will be limited to working on the side during the Bengals' three-day minicamp, which opened on Tuesday at Paul Brown Stadium. Hall tore the left Achilles tendon on Nov. 13, sparking questions about whether he'd be ready for the start of the 2012 season.
Hall has been running forward and backward without a problem, regaining his leg strength and flexibility faster than expected. Instead of setting the opening game as the target for his return, Hall thinks he can be ready to take the first snap in practice when training camp opens on July 27.
"Considering how I feel in mid-June, I feel like I will be OK," Hall said after emerging from the trainer's room.
The Bengals' secondary struggled after Hall got hurt. Hall's progress could allow him to become a tandem with first-round pick Dre Kirkpatrick at the start of training camp.
"Leon has done very well," coach Marvin Lewis said. "He has exceeded expectations by far. He's done well. He's excited with where he is. What he hasn't had to do is the day-to-day stuff -- how many snaps, how many plays.
Slot receiver Jordan Shipley also will be limited during the three-day camp as a precaution. Shipley tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the second game last season and is in the final stage of his recovery. He's expected to be fully recovered for the start of training camp.
"There's still a little bit of stiffness, but nothing big," Shipley said. "I'm just kind of in the last phase of getting the speed back and all that."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
