Similar to what a majority of teams are expected to do before Monday's deadline, the Cincinnati Bengals have elected to use their franchise tag. While the expectation was for safety Reggie Nelson, the Bengals have elected to use their franchise tag on place kicker Mike Nugent.
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Geoff Hobson#Bengals franchise K Mike Nugent
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The projected number for place kickers is around $2.7 million. This is the second time since 2009 that the Bengals have used the franchise tag on a kicker, tagging Shayne Graham in 2009, who would go on to have his worst season in a Bengals uniform, eventually becoming a roamer for a team needing help for a weekend or two.
After suffering a serious knee injury during an onside kick against the Indianapolis Colts, Nugent rebounded by converting 86.8 percent of his field goals in 2011, including a 90.9 percent (10 of 11) conversion in the fourth quarter last year.