Some fast rants and news bits on the Bengals...

BENGALS ADD VETERAN SAFTEY
Free agent safety Roy Williams has agreed to a deal with the Bengals, according to NFL.com.  He is the second former Cowboys' defender to rejoin defensive Mike Zimmer in Cincinnati in less than a month (Tank Johnson signed before draft). The 28-year old was the first round pick of the Cowboys in 2002. Dallas cut him after last season, a year in which he only managed to play in three games due to various injuries. It will be interesting to see how the veteran fits into the Bengals' mix that includes Chris Crocker, Chinedum Ndukwe, and Marvin White. Williams averaged 90-plus tackles and had 17 interceptions in his five years under Zimmer. Expect the hard-hitting safety to be a factor on running downs.

JONES OFFICIALLY CUT
Though speculation was admist since the draft, on Tuesday it became reality - the Bengals released left tackle Levi Jones. The 29-year old has had problems getting on the field the past couple seasons and may have peaked during the 2005 campaign. When the team drafted tackle Andre Smith with the No. 6 overall pick, Jones became expendable. Since there is no salary cap next season in the NFL, the Bengals assume what is left of Jones' pro-rated signing bonus in this year's cap. Since he was scheduled to make in excess of $3 million this season, that figures to be about a $500,000 hit, according to the team's website. Ironically, his release created the cap room for the Bengals to add Williams. Back in the 2002 draft I was hoping for Williams to fall to the Bengals at No. 10, but the Cowboys snaked him two picks earlier at No. 8, leading the Bengals to nab Jones.

BENGALS, UC FAR APART?
An interesting read from WhoDeyRevolution.com: "Building off its run to the Orange Bowl last season and increased popularity, the University of Cincinnati Athletic Department has approached the Bengals about using Paul Brown Stadium for some of its 2009 home games.   UC proposed a financial arrangement similar to what other Big East rivals have worked out with their NFL counterparts, including the Buccaneers/South Florida and Steelers/University of Pittsburgh. The website reports that a high-level booster with knowledge of the negotiations that the Bengals would only let the Bearcats use PBS if they paid a rate that is over five times what the University of South Florida and University of Pittsburgh pay." 

College Football, NFL bengals, roy williams, mike zimmer, tank johnson, levi jones, cincinnati bearcats, uc