GEORGETOWN, Ky. - Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Carson Palmer briefly returned to practice Wednesday morning, but a strained tendon in his right foot forced him to miss the afternoon session.

The Heisman Trophy winner and top pick in this year's draft was limping on the sidelines in the afternoon and said he expects to return to practice soon. He sprained a tendon in the arch of his foot in Sunday's exhibition game against the New York Jets.

''My foot is feeling a lot better,'' he said. ''I'm just going to play through it. It will be fine. I just had to let the swelling go down and now it's feeling better.''

Coach Marvin Lewis said he'll wait to decide if Palmer will play in Saturday's game at Paul Brown Stadium against the Detroit Lions.

''If he has the mobility, we'll allow him to play,'' Lewis said. ''If he doesn't, then we're not going to let him.''

If Palmer plays, he will move up to the second spot in the rotation so he can get work with Bengals starters and against top Lions players, the coach said. Last week, Palmer came in after starter Jon Kitna and backup Shane Matthews had played at quarterback.

Lewis said he still expects Matthews to be the backup when the season starts.