Bengals Worked Out Derek Barnett
Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett has held workouts with the Patriots, Bengals, Saints, and Titans, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Barnett, who posted 33 sacks during three years with the Volunteers, is expected to be selected in the first half of Day 1, and I projected Cincinnati to take him at pick No. 9 in the first edition of PFR’s Mock Draft. The Buccaneers and Cowboys have also expressed interest in Barnett, who stands 6’3″, 265 pounds.
Bengals Host Takkarist McKinley
- UCLA linebacker Takkarist McKinley is visiting the Browns, Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals all in a row, Rapoport tweets. We heard last month that he would visit with some of these AFC North teams, but we now know that he’ll be polishing off the AFC North in rapid succession.
Details On Cedric Peerman's Deal
- Running back Cedric Peerman‘s one-year deal with the Bengals is worth $1.15MM, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. The pact includes $100K guaranteed in the form of a signing bonus and comes with a $900K base salary. Peerman, a special teams ace, also gets $100K in per-game roster bonuses, a $50K workout bonus, and can earn $300K in rushing and receiving yard incentives.
Bengals Owner Stands Behind Adam Jones
Although cornerback Adam Jones was arrested and charged with three misdemeanors and a felony (the latter of which was later dropped) earlier this year, Bengals owner/general manager Mike Brown is standing behind the 10-year pro, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Based on Brown’s comments, it sounds exceedingly unlikely the Bengals will part ways with Jones this offseason.
“It’s a bigger picture than one incident,” said Brown. “And I get to be the one that sits in the chair to decide [Jones’ fate]. So I have chosen to decide it the way I am deciding it. I’m going to give him a chance. I hope it comes out right for him, for his family and for us. I know there are critics. I understand. But that is a full answer.
“I’m not condoning his actions. They were in all honesty embarrassing. He was out of control. He misbehaved. He made a fool of himself. No one knows that more than he does…He knows full well what he has done to himself. He regrets it. But it’s been made into a public issue and maybe I am overly tolerant. If so, so be it.”
Jones has a history of off-field incidents here, but it’s only fair to note that — until recently — Jones had stayed out of trouble for a good amount of time. But his most recent incident, which included an alleged assault, disorderly conduct, and an extremely unbecoming encounter while in police custody, was especially disturbing, and the Bengals understandably hadn’t made a decision on Jones’ future with the club as of late January.
Now, Jones figures to return to Cincinnati as a starting corner opposite the recently re-signed Dre Kirkpatrick. Jones, 33, posted a down season in 2016, grading as only the league’s No. 37 cornerback, per Pro Football Focus. But most of the Bengals’ cornerback unit is inexperienced, so Jones will add a veteran presence to a group that includes Darqueze Dennard, Josh Shaw, and Willam Jackson III. Jones will count for $8.167MM on Cincinnati’s salary cap in 2017
Browns Won’t Trade No. 1 Pick For QB
The Browns will not trade the No. 1 overall selection for a quarterback, head coach Hue Jackson tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. While the Browns are expected to “make another run” at Patriots signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo, any potential deal will have to be consummated without the first overall pick involved.
[RELATED: Browns Haven’t Discussed Colin Kaepernick]
“Until we have the guy that we feel comfortable with that will be the face of our franchise, and play QB the way we want them top play, we’re going to keep searching,” said Jackson. “There’s the draft that’s coming up. There’s trade opportunities hopefully. We’ll exhaust every opportunity.’’
Garoppolo is likely the only quarterback for whom Cleveland would have considered parting with the No. 1 pick, but as Jackson says, the club will continue to hunt for another passer this offseason. In addition to Garoppolo, the Browns could consider trading for Bengals backup A.J. McCarron, whom Jackson coached in Cincinnati. While the Bengals aren’t necessarily shopping McCarron, they’re likely open to proposals, and Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com hinted earlier this week that Cincinnati could consider a trade of McCarron and pick No. 9 for pick Nos. 12 and 33.
The Browns could also target a quarterback in the draft, either at selection No. 1 or No. 12, and they’ve been linked to a list of options that includes Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer, and Patrick Mahomes.
Bengals Cut Rey Maualuga
Rey Maualuga‘s time with the Bengals will end after eight seasons. The team will release the linebacker, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter).
The release will create $3.75MM in cap room. Maualuga’s place on Cincinnati’s roster became tenuous after the Bengals acquired Kevin Minter last week, and the former USC standout will have to find another NFL employer.
The middle linebacker played in 114 games with the Bengals. Under Marvin Lewis, that’s the most among Bengals’ backers. Maualuga was a full-time starter for his first seven seasons, but the former second-round pick saw his playing time decrease last season. The team used him on just 326 snaps in 14 games. He rated as the third-worst full-time linebacker, in the opinion of Pro Football Focus.
Cincinnati’s linebacking corps looks less cloudy as a result. Minter, Vontaze Burfict and Vincent Rey look to be the 2017 starters. Maualuga, who turned 30 in January, made just 27 tackles last season — a steep drop from his work during the Bengals’ five-year run of playoff berths. Minter signed a one-year, $4.25MM contract. Maualuga was slated to play for $3.15MM base.
This also continues a transition for the Bengals, who have lost several key contributors from those postseason-qualifying teams. Andrew Whitworth, Kevin Zeitler and Domata Peko departed like Reggie Nelson, Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu did last year as UFAs. The Bengals’ defensive second level will carry younger crew members in 2017; Karlos Dansby also departed to return to Arizona.
Bengals Re-Sign Wallace Gilberry
The Bengals are re-signing Wallace Gilberry, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Heading into today, we had Gilberry ranked as the 12th-best edge defender left in free agency. 
Gilberry joined the Lions prior to the 2016 season and was slated to be a situational pass rusher in Detroit. After four games, he was sidelined by an abdominal injury. Detroit subsequently placed him on IR before releasing him midway through the season. When he hit the open market, the Bengals brought him back to Cincinnati.
In his first Bengals stint from 2012-15, he started in 19 games for the team and recorded 16.5 sacks with Cincinnati. Last year, he appeared in five games for the Bengals and tacked on another 2.5 sacks. For his career, Gilberry has 34 sacks across nine NFL seasons.
All of the Bengals’ free agent defensive linemen from this offseason are now spoken for, in one fashion or another. Domata Peko left for the Broncos and Margus Hunt signed with the Colts, but Gilberry will stay thanks to today’s deal.
Bengals Notes: Jones, McCarron
- Bengals cornerback Adam Jones is no longer facing a felony charge over a January confrontation with hotel security guards, police and a nurse, reports Lisa Cornwell of the Associated Press. The felony charge resulted from Jones’ alleged “harassment of a member of the medical staff in the justice center with a bodily substance.” Specifically, Jones was accused of spitting on a nurse at the jail. If found guilty, he could have gone to jail for six to 12 months. Jones is still up against three misdemeanor charges, including assault, and the Bengals aren’t sure if they’re going to retain him.
- One of Jones’ Bengals teammates, reserve quarterback A.J. McCarron, wouldn’t mind a trade out of Cincinnati. But Andy Dalton‘s backup isn’t going to cause problems if the Bengals don’t deal him to a starter-needy team. On the possibility of once again reporting to camp in a No. 2 role, McCarron told Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer: “It’d be tough at first. Like, because I know I’m having to go through the whole backup process again. But at the same time, that’s my job. I need to be the best backup quarterback in the league and I’m going to go there and work my [butt] off to prove that and show that I am so that they’re proud, as an organization, to sit back and say at practice if they’re watching ‘like man, I’m glad we had that guy as our backup.’ I still want to make everybody proud.” McCarron, though, expects to end up a starter sometime. “Whether it’s this year or when I’m a free agent, I think somebody’s going to take a chance on me to be a starter,” said McCarron, who’s under Bengals control for two more years.
Bengals Re-Sign RB Cedric Peerman
The Bengals are re-signing running back Cedric Peerman, Zac Jackson of TheAthletic.com tweets. The Bengals have confirmed the news and say it’s a one year deal. 
Peerman, 31 in October, fractured his arm during preseason last year. He missed the first three months of the 2016 campaign before being activated from IR. In his six games, Peerman was primarily used on special teams and had only six carries. This year, with Rex Burkhead out of the equation, it’s possible that he could see some more snaps on offense. Peerman earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2015 for his special teams work.
The Bengals now have four running backs under contract: Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard, Tra Carson, and Peerman.
Bengals Met With Fabian Moreau
- Prior to possibly injuring his pectoral while bench pressing on Tuesday, UCLA cornerback Fabian Moreau spent time with the Lions, Dolphins, Saints, and Bengals, reports Pauline. Additionally, Moreau met with Cowboys defensive backs Joe Baker, per Pauline. Rob Rang of CBSSports.com projected Moreau as a back-end first round pick (and the third-best cornerback on the board) before news of his injury broke.