The Bengals were glad to see Leon Hall slide to them at the #18 pick of the first round.  One of the main reasons that Hall slid to the Bengals was because of the torchings he took in his last two college games against USC and Ohio State.  Hall is a little on the small side at 5′11″, 193 pounds and he’s not overly fast as he’s usually in the 4.5 range in the 40 yard dash.  But, he’s a good citizen off of the field and that’s suddenly important to the Cincinnati Bengals.  In 50 games at Michigan (37 starts), Hall has made 180 tackles, 43 tackles for a loss, had 12 interceptions (23 return yards), forced 1 fumble and recovered 5 fumbles.  Hall was a good pick for the Bengals where they got him, but don’t expect him to go to multiple Pro Bowls.

The Bengals have signed free-agent cornerback Blue Adams to a 1-year contract.  He played in all 16 games last season for the Bucs and he made 18 tackles and forced a fumble.  Adams will likely compete for a job in the nickel and dime packages for the Bengals this season.  He also will likely play on some of their special teams if he makes the team.

Justin Smith wants to stay in Cincinnati longterm but the Bengals just offered him a 1-year contract for now.  Smith played in all 16 games last season for the Bengals and he made 81 tackles, had 7.5 sacks, defensed 3 passes, forced a fumble and recovered 2 fumbles.  In his six years in Cincy, Smith has played in 95 games and he’s made 388 tackles, has 41.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, defensed 15 passes, forced 7 fumbles and recovered 5 fumbles.  The Bengals would be smart to tie Smith up longterm because it would be hard to replace him on the field.

The Bengals have signed Edgerton Hartwell to a 1-year contract.  Hartwell had his best seasons with the Baltimore Ravens under Marvin Lewis’ watch as defensive co-ordinator.  Last year, Hartwell played in 8 games with the Atlanta Falcons and he made 41 tackles, had 1 sack and forced a fumble.  This was a good move by the Bengals.