Oklahoma moves north: One of the oldest drills in football, the Oklahoma drill, served as the highlight of Monday afternoon's practice. For the first day in pads, Marvin Lewis lined up offensive blockers on defensive players one-on-one to see who could clear a lane for the running back. The drill drew fame two years ago when the Bengals used it while Hard Knocks filmed.

Among the big winners from the battles this year was rookie TE Orson Charles, who showed off strength in moving around linebackers. Mammoth 335-pound tackle Andre Smith bullied 280-pound Carlos Dunlap in one of the most anticipated matchups of the day. The drill exposed a concern for Dunlap, who must improve at the point of attack if he wants to be an every-down defensive end instead of just a pass-rush specialist.

Zeitler checks in: Rookie offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler eagerly awaited the first day in pads to judge where he stacks up in the trenches against the Bengals defensive tackles when full contact takes place. He held his own against LB Rey Maualuga and rookie DT Devon Still in the Oklahoma drill but said the better judgment came in the 11-on-11 sessions.

"You got Geno (Atkins), who is one of the top of the line," the first-round pick said. "That is a good measuring point. (Domata) Peko is also a very good measuring point."

How did he feel he measured up against those two?

"I still got a ways to go," he said. "They are something else, and I'll get there."

Shipley returns: WR Jordan Shipley tore his ACL in the second week of the regular season last year and was finally cleared for practice Monday. The move pulls him off the active PUP and eliminates any chance he would miss the first six weeks of the season because of the injury. He participated in everything except the 11-on-11 session on Monday but has been told he will be full-go in every portion of practice Tuesday.

"I didn't really know what the plan was and I didn't make the plan, obviously," he said. "They re-evaluated me today and said it looks like it would be time to go."

He'll jump into a crowded battle at the slot receiver position. Mohamed Sanu, Andrew Hawkins and Ryan Whalen are all competing to work inside as well.

"[I] said the whole time this is the best receivers I think we've had," he said. "We've got a lot of competition. That's a good thing for our team -- everybody can play."

Binns makes most of time: WR Armon Binns showed off the potential coaches have been speaking about since OTAs. The receiver who earned the team's attention on the practice squad last year made CB Jason Allen look bad on a deep slant he took for a long gain and also made an acrobatic catch on the sideline. He's making the most of an injury to Brandon Tate that has allowed him to work all the first-team reps alongside A.J. Green.

Follow Paul Dehner Jr. on Twitter for live updates from camp at @CBSSportsNFLCIN.