The Bengals have used the franchise tag on 30-year old kicker Mike Nugent.  Nugent played in all 16 games for the Bengals last season and he connected on 33 of 38 field goals (86.8%) and he made 33 of 34 extra points, good for 132 points.  He has now played in 25 games in his first two years with the Bengals.  Nugent has made 48 of 57 (84.2%) field goals and 50 of 51 extra points good for 194 points with the Bengals.  The ex-Ohio State Buckeye has returned home to rejuvenate his career and the Bengals were smart to tag him to keep him around for another year.

The Bengals have signed 26-year old RB Aaron Brown.  Brown played in 1 game for the Detroit Lions last year and he carried the ball 1 time for 0 yards.  He also caught 1 pass for 9 yards last year for the Lions.  Brown has now played in 22 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 45 times for 189 yards (4.2 ypc) without any TD runs.  He also has caught 18 passes for 138 yards (7.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Brown could also help the Bengals out on special teams if the need arises.  He has returned 42 kickoffs for 951 yards (22.6 avg) so far in his NFL career.  This is a nice pickup for the Bengals, who are likely going to have some turnover at RB for 2012.

The Bengals have signed 25-year old DT Nick Hayden.  Hayden played in 14 games for the Panthers last year and he had 31 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 26 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 51 tackles, 2 sacks,  3 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  Hayden will essentially replace Pat Sims, who was placed on I.R. to open up a roster space for him.

The Bengals have signed 31-year old TE Donald Lee.  Lee played in 15 games (6 starts) for the Packers last year and he caught 11 passes for 73 yards (6.6 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has now played in 124 games (64 starts) in his first 8 years in the NFL and he has caught 198 passes for 1,875 yards (9.5 avg) with 19 TD grabs.  This was a good signing for the Bengals as Lee is a pretty solid all-around TE.

The Bengals have signed 30-year old TE Bo Scaife.  Scaife played in 14 games (13 starts) for the Titans last year and he caught 36 passes for 318 yards (8.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He has now played in 90 games (62 starts) in his first six years in the NFL and he has caught 251 passes for 2,383 yards (9.5 avg) with 12 TD grabs.  Scaife also has carried the ball 1 time for 13 yards and it went for a TD.  Scaife is a good possession receiver and he will give the Bengals a different look than when Jermaine Gresham is on the field.  I really like this signing for the Bengals.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Bengals have placed Bo Scaife on I.R. due to a shoulder injury.

The Bengals have signed 27-year old guard Max Jean-Gilles to a 1-year, $1.15 million dollar deal.  Jean-Gilles played in 13 games (10 starts) for the Eagles last year.  He has now played in 42 games (26 starts) in his first five years in the NFL.  He is a run blocker first which should come as no surprise as he stands 6’3″ and tilts the scale at 358 pounds.  I like this signing for the Bengals.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Bengals have released Max Jean-Gilles.

The Bengals have signed 27-year old OLB Manny Lawson to a 1-year, $3 million dollar deal.  Lawson played in all 16 games for the 49ers last year and he had 59 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 6 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Lawson has now played in 64 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 240 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 14.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries, 14 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  Lawson will be a starter at outside linebacker for the Bengals so they hope he amps up his pass rush in 2011.

The Bengals have signed 31-year old cornerback Nate Clements.  Clements played in all 16 games for the 49ers last year and he had 82 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 3 forced fumbles, 10 passes defensed and 3 interceptions.  Nate Clements has now played in 150 games in his first 10 years in the NFL and he has 706 tackles, 31 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, 20 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 124 passes defensed and 33 interceptions (5 returned for TDs).  The former Buckeye comes back to Ohio to replace Jonathan Joseph who left to sign with the Texans.  This was a great signing for the Bengals.

The Bengals have signed 28-year old linebacker Thomas Howard to a 2-year, $6.5 million dollar deal.  Howard played in 12 games for the Raiders last year and he had 9 tackles, 1 forced fumble and he defensed 1 pass.  He has now played in 76 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 390 tackles, 26 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 24 passes defensed and 7 interceptions (2 returned for TDs).  Howard is a solid player when he’s healthy and he should help out the Bengals’ run defense a little bit in 2011.

The Bengals have signed 28-year old QB Bruce Gradkowski to a 2-year deal.  Gradkowski played in 6 games (4 starts) for the Raiders last year and he completed 83 of 157 passes (52.9%) for 1,059 yards with 5 TD passes and 7 INTs (66.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 12 times for 41 yards (3.4 ypc) last year.  Gradkowski has now played in 32 games (20 starts) in his first five years in the NFL and he has completed 362 of 680 passes (53.2%) for 3,883 yards with 20 TD passes and 23 INTs (65.9 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 79 times for 332 yards (4.2 ypc) in his NFL career.  Gradkowski is 6-14 (30%) as a starting QB in the NFL, so the Bengals better hope that rookie Andy Dalton stays healthy this year.