For the first time since their Jan. 7 wildcard playoff loss to the Houston Texans, the Cincinnati Bengals were in full pads Monday afternoon at training camp.

“You can feel the excitement,” defensive tackle Domata Peko said. “Everybody’s excited to get banging. During the offseason all you do is lift weights and run around and stuff like that. Now we get to actually play some football.”

After early stretching and some position group work, head coach Marvin Lewis gathered the players for the Oklahoma Drill.

“Here we go, here we go. This is what we came here for,” Lewis yelled before pitting defensive end Carlos Dunlap against tackle Andre Smith in the first head-to-head matchup, which Smith won impressively.

“There’s zero contact basically until that (drill),” Lewis said. “It kind of kicks things off. Guys are wondering who is going to bully who. You get a chance to let them go one-on-one and put it on tape.”

A matchup that drew some “oohs” from the players when it was announced was rookie guard Eric Zeitler against middle linebacker Rey Maualuga, although it failed to produce a clear-cut winner.

“The only way I ever consider those wins is when you have complete control and drive them 20 yards,” Zeitler said. “They said I was low, so that’s always a good point. I don’t know. I’ve got to see it on film.”

In addition to full contact, a pair of key players also returned to the practice field as wide receiver Jordan Shipley and cornerback Nate Clements were activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list.

Shipley hadn’t taken part in any team drills since suffering an ACL/MCL tear in his left knee in the second game of the 2011 season at Denver, while Clements missed all of minicamp and OTAs with an abdominal strain.

“It feels good,” Shipley said after practice. “I’m just glad to be back out there. Honestly, I didn’t really know what the plan was. I didn’t make the plan. They re-evaluated me (Monday morning) and said it looked like it was time to go.”

Shipley did position work and some 7-on-7 drills, but did not take part in any full-contact, 11-on-11 action. Clements followed the same routine.

“I’ll look at it on film, but I felt really good in and out of my breaks,” he said.

When asked if he will be able to play in Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage, Clements said he wasn’t sure.

“I don’t know what they’re going to have me do,” he said. “I’m gradually progressing. Whatever they want me to do, I’m going to do it.”

Monday’s practice drew the smallest crowd of camp thus far with 1,100 fans. Today’s practice will be 3-4:45 p.m., followed by an off day Wednesday. Thursday the team will move inside Paul Brown Stadium for the first time, practicing from 6-8 p.m.