Injured Cincinnati Bengals center Kyle Cook made his regular-season practice debut Wednesday, which is a positive sign he could be available to play over the final month of the season.

“We knew for a couple weeks now that this would be the week,” said Cook, who suffered a high-ankle sprain in the third preseason game Aug. 23 and was placed on Injured Reserve with the league’s new designated-for-return tag.

“I saw the doctor again (Tuesday) and just double-checked some things, and everything is good to go,” Cook added. “Now we just take it day by day and see how it feels being out there in practice and game-type situations.”

His official return to practice means the Bengals have three weeks to activate Cook to the 53-man roster, otherwise they will have to keep him on IR for the rest of the season.

It’s unlikely he will be activated prior to Sunday’s game in San Diego, but there is a good chance he could be ready to go for the Dec. 9 home game against Dallas.

“I’m really eager,” he said. “Obviously, as eager as I am to get on the field and play, I also want to make sure I’m ready – for myself, for my team and for everybody. Do I feel like I could play tomorrow? Yeah. But can I really? I don’t know yet. I haven’t really done much. It will be one of those things where obviously I probably won’t play until coaches feel like I can.”

The Bengals have the luxury of patience thanks to the job undrafted rookie Trevor Robinson has done since replacing Jeff Faine as the starting center four weeks ago.

With Robinson settling into the role, the Bengals have rushed for their two highest totals of the season the last two weeks, including a 221-yard effort Sunday that marked the team’s best output since 2004.

“(Cook’s) been great, from advice on Xs and Ox type stuff to how to approach your work to different technique things for different guys,” Robinson said. “Ever since I got here in May, he’s been someone I’ve tried to emulate. Having him back at practice is just another opportunity for me to keep learning from him.”

Cook, who had started 50 consecutive regular-season and postseason games for the Bengals before the injury, said the time off has been difficult.

“At first it was really frustrating,” he said. “It was hard for me to understand that no matter what, I can’t do anything about it. I had a screw in my ankle, in a cast. But as you get closer, you start to get it back as far as it’s a reality that I can actually come back with this new rule.”

Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said a few weeks ago he would like to have Cook back for the Dallas game to help call out assignments against Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s various blitzes and stunts. Cook’s presence also would be calming against the Pittsburgh and Baltimore defenses in the final two games of the regular season.

“We’ll see how he goes,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. “He’s got to feel right about it, and I’ve got to see what I’ve got to see as time goes on. We really have no time frame of if and when he would be brought to the roster.

“It’s great work for him get back to making the calls and handling the different snaps and cadences,” Lewis added. “He’s been into it for two or three weeks since he’s been back in the meetings, and having him back on the field is good.”