The Bengals have acquired 25-year old running back Brian Leonard from the Rams for DT Orien Harris.  Leonard can handle both tailback or fullback because of his skill set.  Leonard only played in 2 games for the Rams last season carrying the ball 2 times for 7 yards (3.5 ypc).  He has now played in 18 games in his NFL career (2 years) and he carried the ball 88 times for 310 yards (3.5 ypc).  Leonard has also caught 30 passes for 183 yards (6.1 avg) in his NFL career.  Orien Harris played in 14 games for the Bengals last season and he made 14 tackles.  Here’s to hoping that the Rams answer the phone the next time the Bengals call them to trade.

The Bengals have signed 28-year old strong safety Roy Williams.  Williams is a big guy at 6’0″, 221 pounds and he’s a strong run defender.  But, he’s not too good against the passing game anymore.  Still, in the AFC North you have to be able to stop the running game so Williams should be able to help the Bengals’ defense.  Williams only played in 3 games for the Cowboys last season making 6 tackles due to injuries.  He has now played in 7 seasons in his NFL career and he has made 506 tackles, defensed 55 passes, had 6.5 sacks, forced 9 fumbles and he intercepted 19 passes (3 of which he returned for TDs).  This was a good signing for the Bengals.

The Bengals have released 29-year old offensive tackle Levi Jones.  Jones played in 10 games (all starts) for the Bengals last season.  In his 7 years with the Bengals, Jones has played in 94 games (89 starts).  The Bengals shouldn’t miss Jones too much as they selected Andre Smith in the first round of the NFL Draft to replace him in the starting lineup. 

The Bengals have cut punter Kyle Larson deciding to go with rookie Kevin Huber in 2009.  Larson played in all 16 games for the Bengals last season punting the ball 100 times for 3,946 yards (39.5 avg).  He only had 3 touchbacks (3%) while pinning the opposing teams inside the 20-yard line 28 times (28%).  In his 5-year career with the Bengals, Larson played in 80 games in which he punted the ball 379 times for 15,901 yards (42.0 avg).  He only had 32 touchbacks (8.4%) with the Bengals while pinning opposing teams inside the 20-yard line 109 times (28.8%).  This should be a improved area for the Bengals in 2009.

The Bengals have finally seen enough of Chris Perry cutting him loose.  Perry played in 13 games for the Bengals last season and he carried the ball 104 times for 269 yards (2.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 20 passes for 71 yards (3.6 avg) with the Bengals last season.  Perry just couldn’t handle being the main man last season after the Bengals got rid of Rudi Johnson.  Perry played in 35 games in his four years with the Bengals carrying the ball 177 times for 606 yards (3.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 83 passes for 474 yards (5.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs as a Bengal.  Perry also returned 21 kickoffs for 412 yards (19.6 avg).  The Bengals won’t miss Perry too much as they gave him every opportunity to prove himself.

The Bengals have released safety Mike Doss and DE/OLB Eric Henderson.  Doss played in 3 games for the Bengals last season and he made 1 tackle and defensed 1 pass.  Henderson played in 2 games for the Bengals making 2 tackles.  The Bengals won’t miss either of these players.  In fact, they will be better without them.

The Bengals quickly signed WR Quan Cosby after the NFL Draft.  He should have been picked so the Bengals got a good deal here.  Crosby is only 5’8″, 191 pounds but he plays bigger than his size.  He’s not a speed burner running a 4.5 40 but he has no fear in going over the middle for a ball.  Cosby played in 52 games (35 starts) in 4 years at Texas and he caught 212 passes for 2,598 yards (12.3 avg) with 19 TD grabs.  Cosby’s agent deserves kudos for putting his client in a good situation in which he could excel.

The Bengals got another character player at a need position in WR Freddie Brown.  Brown is a big receiver at 6’3″, 215 pounds but he’s not a speed burner.  He caught 115 passes for 1,358 yards (11.8 avg) in 4 seasons at Utah.  Brown could surprise for the Bengals as a rookie in 2009.

This was another outstanding pick for the Bengals who needed help at DE.  He is 6’2″, 289 which means he could also fill in at tackle if the need arises.  McDonald made 94 tackles and had 11 sacks in his last two seasons at Memphis State.  McDonald has a nice upside so the Bengals were happy he was still there for them in the 7th round.

Fui Vakapuna is a big, strong guy at 5’11″, 244 pounds.  He’s the anti-Bengal type of player as he has kept his nose clean.  He plays with aggression both on offense and special teams.  Still, he’s a classic fullback so don’t expect him to win any rushing titles in Cincinnati.  Still, this was nice value for the Bengals in the 7th round.