DaytonDailyNews.com

ATLANTA — What does the future hold for Bengals cornerback Keiwan Ratliff?

He believes he's on the bubble, and it just might burst when Cincinnati's roster gets sliced from 87 to 75 on Tuesday.

"I have no ideal what it's going to be," he said. "I could be here (with the Bengals). I could be somewhere else. Hopefully, I'll be somewhere where I can play."

Ratliff is currently the No. 2 right corner behind Johnathan Joseph. Ratliff started the preseason opener at Detroit, only to be dealt a week-long setback because of oral surgery. He had all four wisdom teeth pulled.

"I was more hungry than I was in pain," said Ratliff, who couldn't eat solid food for several days. "That's the easiest diet I know."

Ratliff shouldn't sell himself short.

"He's done a good job and played his butt off," head coach Marvin Lewis said. "He just needs to keep working."

Suiting up

Left offensive tackle Levi Jones will see his first action of the preseason tonight because the pain in his left knee has subsided.

"There's a little bit of rust," Jones said. "But for the most part, I'm good. The pain is good. It gets sore at times, but that's expected. It's just something I have to deal with and work through. It's a lot better than it was."

Will he start?

"It's whatever they want," he added. "I don't think they're planning on me playing too much given the minimal reps I've been getting in practice. But I'm ready to go."

Home sweet home

Strong safety John Busing hails from the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Ga.

"It's always good to be back home," he said. "I'll get to see a lot of friends and family, and being on Monday night is big, too."

Busing is third string behind Dexter Jackson and Chinedum Ndukwe, but his superb coverage on special teams is a big plus.

"I have to come up big in the kicking game and make sure I'm solid in the defense, and try to make a few plays there," he said. "You've just got to make sure you're on top of your game and do everything you can."

Plenty of connections

Three former Bengals — linebacker Marcus Wilkins, center Ben Wilkerson and quarterback Casey Bramlet — are with the Falcons. Wilkins is the backup strong-side linebacker, while Wilkerson and Bramlet are third stringers.

Hue Jackson, the Bengals' wide receivers coach from 2004-06, is in his first season as Falcons offensive coordinator.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.