Bengals re-sign two veterans before free agency
Cincinnati begins its free agency plan by bringing back two defenders.
The Cincinnati Bengals are making moves before the madness of free agency begins.
Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the team is re-signing linebacker Joe Bachie and cornerback Jalen Davis.
As Rapoport noted, Bachie is receiving a one-year deal, while Davis is being signed on for two years. Both players were set to become restricted free agents.
Bachie, an undrafted free agent from the 2020 NFL Draft class, originally joined the Bengals back in the 2021 offseason after spending his rookie season with the Philadelphia Eagles. He's played 19 games in Cincinnati, primarily as a special teams contributor.
2022 was an interesting year for the former Michigan State star. Bachie spent most of the year recovering from a torn ACL he suffered late in 2021. This prompted the club to place him on the PUP list to start the 2022 season. He ended up making his debut in Week 7 and playing 215 snaps on special teams.
Davis was also an undrafted free agent back in 2018 and has spent the last three years with the Bengals as a reserve slot cornerback. He made the active roster in 2021 and has appeared in 28 games since.
Re-signing Davis gives the Bengals some depth at cornerback while Eli Apple and Tre Flowers are set to hit free agency next week.
Instead of placing original round tenders on either player, Cincinnati opted for individual deals for both. This will effectively lower their cap hits for the 2023 season, as well as preventing them from entering free agency this offseason.
