Bengals sign first-round pick

By Ken Paxson | Friday, May 18, 2012, 12:04 PM

The Bengals today signed CB Dre Kirkpatrick of Alabama, their first selection (17th overall) in the 2012 draft.

“It’s great for the club and great for Dre to have him signed this early,” said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. “Contracts can be a distraction for young guys drafted high, but now he can put all that behind him and focus on making himself better and making us a better team.”

A multiple first-team 2011 All-America selection, Kirkpatrick last year helped lead Alabama to its second BCS national championship in his three years at the school. He proved himself throughout his career as a confident defender who can physically outperform receivers and play tough against the run.

“Dre was the tallest (6-2) of the top corners in the draft, and with all the big receivers in the league right now, we see that as an extra advantage for us,” said Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. “He does a great job at the line of scrimmage. He’s been coached hard with a national championship team, so we really like his pedigree.”

Kirkpatrick’s signing is the earliest by a top Bengals draft pick since 2003, when Cincinnati sealed a deal on April 24 with QB Carson Palmer, the top overall selection in that draft.

“Like Coach (Lewis) says, it’s just great to have this part done,” Kirkpatrick said. “I’m happy to officially be a Bengal, and I’m going to be the best player I can be for the team and our fans.”

The Bengals have now signed six of the team’s 10 choices from the draft. Also signed are DT Devon Still of Penn State (second round), TE Orson Charles of Georgia (fourth), CB Shaun Prater of Iowa (fifth), WR Marvin Jones of California (fifth) and S George Iloka of Boise State (fifth).

Video: Grading the Bengals 2012 NFL Draft picks

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Bengals sign two draft picks

By Jay Morrison | Thursday, May 10, 2012, 09:19 PM

The Cincinnati Bengals agreed to terms with two of their 10 draft picks Thursday, signing cornerback Shaun Prater and safety George Iloka, both of whom the team selected in the fifth round.

Prater (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) was the 156th overall pick. He played in 48 games with 35 starts over four seasons at Iowa, posting 171 tackles, seven interceptions and 19 additional passes defensed. He had a 24.7-yard average on interception returns, two of which he carried for touchdowns.

Iloka (6-4, 225) was the 167th pick in the draft. He played 53 games with 45 starts over four seasons for Boise State, with 232 tackles, seven interceptions and 17 additional passes defensed.

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Recently signed Bengal retires

By Jay Morrison | Wednesday, May 9, 2012, 03:09 PM

Cincinnati Bengals guard Jacob Bell informed the team he has decided to retire, and the club has placed the Miami University product on its Reserved/Retired list.

Bell signed a free-agent contract with the Bengals on April 10. He was a four-year starter for the St. Louis Rams from 2008-11, although he missed the final four games of this past season with a knee sprain.

Before that he played for the Tennessee Titans.

A veteran of eight NFL seasons, Bell has played in 109 games with 100 starts. He was expected to compete for one of the two starting guard spots on the offensive line.

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Bengals sign two players off waivers

By Jay Morrison | Wednesday, May 9, 2012, 11:19 AM

The Bengals today acquired two players on waivers Tuesday, guard Chris Riley from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and defensive tackle Vaughan Meatoga from the Washington Redskins.

Riley (6-foot-4, 304 pounds from Illinois State) is classified as a first-year NFL player in 2012. He signed with the Bengals as a college free agent prior to 2011 training camp and was waived Sept. 3, after playing in all four preseason games. He was signed Oct. 5 to Tampa Bay’s practice squad, where he finished the season. He was signed to the Bucs’ offseason roster on Jan.3.

Meatoga (6-1, 294; Hawaii) is a rookie. He was signed by Washington as a college free agent on May 3 and was waived by the Redskins on Tuesday.

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Bengals sign another undrafted college free agent

By Jay Morrison | Friday, May 4, 2012, 04:24 PM

The Bengals signed guard/center Trevor Robinson of Notre Dame as a college free agent Friday.

Robinson (6-foot-5, 310 pounds, from Elkhorn, Neb.) played in 48 games with 40 starts in his Notre Dame career, starting all 13 games last season. He is the Bengals’ 15th college free agent signee.

The CFAs will have their first work with the team during the team’s minicamp for rookies and eligible first-year players May 11-13 at Paul Brown Stadium.

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Bengals announce list of free agent signings

By Jay Morrison | Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 06:53 PM

The Bengals announced the signing of 14 college free agents Wednesday.

The list includes three players with local/regional connections. Linebacker Grant Hunter (Butler) is from Greater Cincinnati and played at Lakota West High School. Defensive end Julian Miller (West Virginia) is from Columbus and played at Beechcroft. And halfback Rodney Stewart (Colorado) is from Westerville and played at Brookhaven High School.

Below is the full list of college free agents who signed:

—Ben Bojicic, C, 6-4, 300; Bowling Green; Farmington Hills, Mich.

—Derrius Brooks, CB, 5-10, 192; Western Kentucky; Fortson, Ga.

—Vontaze Burfict, LB, 6-1, 248; Arizona State; Corona, Calif.

—Bryce Davis, LS, 6-3, 250; Central Oklahoma; Duncan, Okla.

—Tyler Hansen, QB; 6-1, 218; Colorado; Murrieta, Calif.

—Justin Hilton, WR, 6-2, 190; Indiana State; Kissimmee, Fla.

—Grant Hunter, LB, 6-2, 245; Butler; Liberty Township, Ohio

—Brandon Joiner, LB, 6-3, 225; Arkansas State; Killeen, Texas

—Julian Miller, DE, 6-3, 255; West Virginia; Columbus, Ohio

—Kashif Moore, WR, 5-8, 180; Connecticut; Burlington, N.J.

—Taveon Rogers, WR, 5-11, 188; New Mexico State, Lancaster, Calif.

—Mike Ryan, G/OT, 6-6, 325; Connecticut; Tamaqua, Pa.

—Rodney Stewart, HB, 5-7, 180; Colorado; Westerville, Ohio

—Landon Walker, OT, 6-6, 305; Clemson; North Wilkesboro, N.C.

The CFA signees will have their first work with the team during the May 11-13 minicamp for rookies and eligible first-year players at Paul Brown Stadium.

The Bengals also have arranged for a number of unsigned players to work with the team during the May 11-13 minicamp on a tryout basis. Four of them have local/regional connections:

— Tight end Josh Chichester is a Lakota West grad who played at Louisville.

— Cornerback Reuben Haley played at the University of Cincinnati and is from Mount Healthy.

— Safety Patrick McClellan played at Eastern Kentucky and is from Maineville (Moeller).

— QB Tony Pike played at the University of Cincinnati and is from Reading. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2010 but was waived in August 2011.

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Bengals’ draft receiving high praise

By Jay Morrison | Monday, April 30, 2012, 11:42 AM

The Cincinnati Bengals’ 2012 draft has received straight A’s from various experts, which is something that is becoming a bit of a trend.

There may not have been any “wow” picks, but for a team coming off a playoff berth in 2011 and two postseason appearances in the last three years, the mission was to add quality players who can provide depth in the short-term and starting potential within a few years.

The team landed three players who were projected first-rounders, including second-round pick Devon Still, a Penn State defensive tackle who was the 2011 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

The Bengals had 10 picks, and there is a good chance all 10 will make the roster heading into the season-opener at Baltimore.

Two of those 10 picks were the result of trades owner Mike Brown made to get rid of disgruntled players Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco, and a third came when the Bengals traded down six spots in the first round and still got the player they wanted in Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler.

The Palmer trade netted Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick with the 17th overall pick, and the Ochocinco deal landed the Bengals Marvin Jones, a big wide receiver from California.

And the best move of the draft could end up being one they didn’t make. The Bengals gambled that no one else would pick Vontaze Burfict and then came to free-agent terms with the Arizona State linebacker shortly after the draft. Once regarded as a likely first-round pick, Burfict has had a run of troubling issues that caused his stock to plummet. But Brown is known to give chances to troubled players, and more and more of them seem to be panning out of late (i.e. Adam Jones and Cedric Benson).

The Bengals’ 2010 and 2011 drafts have produced four Pro Bowl players, two more than any other team in the NFL. And even those drafts were not met with immediate praise this one is.

Here is the glowing analysis from cbssports.com’s Pete Prisco Jr:

Best pick: It wasn’t a sexy pick, but taking Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler in the first round will pay off. He’s a tough, aggressive player. Should be a rookie starter.

Questionable move: I thought they should have looked for a speed receiver instead of taking Muhammad Sanu in the third round.

Third-day gem: Cal receiver Marvin Jones might end up being better than Sanu. Jones isn’t a burner, but he knows how to get open and run routes.

Analysis: What’s not to like? The list of 10 is impressive. They acted like they owned the draft. Heck, they did.

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