The first week of Cincinnati Bengals training camp wrapped up with the team adding three veterans to the roster.
Cornerback Nate Brooks, wide receiver Hakeem Butler, and punter Ryan Rehkow have officially been added to the training camp roster, giving the club 90 players in total.
The Brooks signing was announced first in the afternoon, first broken by NFL Media 's Mike Garafolo , and it also has a case for the most surprising move here. Not because the Bengals didn't have a need at cornerback, which they do, but because director of player personnel Duke Tobin told reporters on Monday that signing a veteran corner was not in the plans.
“Are we going to sign a veteran? No, probably not," Tobin said at the team's annual media luncheon . "I like what we’ve got there. We’ve got young guys that can run and cover who have a lot of upside to them. We’ve got some new guys working in there, and it will be exciting to see how they do.
"Do I feel like we have an immediate need for a veteran to make our team? No.”
Not so fast, my friend.
Why did the Bengals sign a cornerback after saying they wouldn't?
This is a bit puzzling. Tobin didn't have to answer the question using the word "no." If adding a corner was a possibility, which it clearly was, then ambiguous language would've been entirely acceptable from him.
It was a legitimate question considering the current state of the position. Cam Taylor-Britt and Mike Hilton are locked in as starters, but a battle between Dax Hill and DJ Turner II create uncertainty. The former has been developing at safety the past two years, and the latter only has one year of so-so starting experience.
It just goes to show how fluid rosters can be, especially in the early days of camp. There may also be an injury at cornerback the team is keeping close to the vest.
Brooks, who turns 28 right before Week 1 of the regular season, originally was an undrafted free agent signing of the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. He spent time with the Cards, New England Patriots before Miami Dolphins before playing his first NFL game with the Miami Dolphins in 2019. His last game was with Baltimore Ravens in 2020 when he played against the Bengals. He's since bounced around with several other clubs, had two separate stints with the USFL's Birmingham Stallions, and last played for the UFL's Michigan Panthers this past spring. He was named to the 2024 All-UFL Team.
The UFL Offensive Player of the Year is also a Bengal now
Butler, a fourth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals from the 2019 NFL Draft, has also played just a handful of NFL games whose success has entirely come from the alternative professional leagues. He eventually found a place in the XFL in 2023, leading the St. Louis Battlehawks in the receiving with 51 receptions for 605 yards and eight touchdowns.
Butler's XFL renaissance earned him a chance with the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason, but an injury in training camp snuffed that flame real quick . He returned to St. Louis for the inaugural UFL season and picked up right where he left off. He led the entire UFL in receiving yardage (710) on his way to winning Offensive Player of the Year honors for the league.
The Bengals hosted a work out for Butler this week , and he showed enough to earn a roster spot for the time being. With so much depth already at wide receiver, don't be surprised to see the offense use the 6-6 Butler as a tight end.
The Bengals now have three punters(?)
Yep. With last year's sixth-round pick Brad Robbins as the incumbent and rookie UDFA Austin McNamara attempting to unseat him , Rehkow now enters the picture as the third punter of the group. Two punters is standard procedure to ensure one guy isn't tiring himself out from all the reps, but three is an abnormal number for Cincinnati.
There may actually be an injury with Robbins or Rehkow that's unknown outside of the team at this time. Or it's just a way to get to 90 players and give the other two added rest.
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