Bengals Sign Defensive End James Ruffin To The Team's Practice Squad

When Adam Jones went on Injured Reserve in late October, and with the injuries amongst our soldiers in the secondary, the team had to fill the spot with another defensive back. Several days later they signed Rico Murray off the team's practice squad onto the Bengals 53-man roster. Murray would go on to led the team with two special teams tackles against the Miami Dolphins. Murray would also down a Kevin Huber punt at the Miami's five-yard line. Since he played pretty well, and since he's good on special teams and versatile enough to play safety and cornerback on defense, the Bengals have no intention of waiving Murray.

Instead, the team signed defensive end James Ruffin to replace Murray on the practice squad. Reedy writes (though we think it's from a team press release) that Ruffin had "two tackles and two QB pressures" in four games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the preseason (NFL.com credits Ruffin with three tackles).

Ruffin, an undrafted free agent signed by the Buccaneers, was recognized as a first-team FCS All-American in 2009 and the 2009 Sports Network FCS All-American Team. He led the Northern Iowa Panthers with 10.5 sacks his senior year, finishing his collegiate career with 24 quarterback sacks. He finished with 48 tackles, 14 tackles-for-loss and two forced fumbles.