Bengals open preseason in Detroit; PBS could host Cam again

All the reports say Auburn quarterback Cam Newton spent Tuesday at Paul Brown Stadium on his pre-draft visit.

The next time he could be back is for the PBS opener when the Bengals host the Panthers for the third game of the preseason the weekend of Aug. 25-29. The NFL, in the midst of a lockout, released its preseason schedule Tuesday with dates and kickoff times still pending.

The new dates to circle on the league's showdown calendar are Aug. 11-15, the first major weekend of football that has the Bengals opening in Detroit. They go to The New Meadowlands the next week to play the Jets before coming back to host the Panthers and then the Colts on either Sept. 1 or 2.

The Panthers hold the first pick in the April 28-30 NFL Draft and all signs are pointing to Newton, the Heisman Trophy winner drawing praise during the past week from  Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. If he survives to No. 4 and Lewis follows through, Newton is able to attend media and marketing sessions at PBS during the lockout until the draft's last pick on Saturday night.

The last time the Bengals played the Jets in the preseason was in the old Meadowlands and they came in with overall No. 1 Carson Palmer in 2003, Lewis' first game as head coach. For the eighth straight year the Bengals close the preseason with the Colts and have played them every preseason but one since 1992.

While the Bengals play the Lions for the 36th time in the preseason, they play the Panthers for the first time. Carolina has been to Cincinnati just once, the Bengals 21-17 win in 2006, and has only played the Bengals four times, fewest of all Cincinnati opponents.