Bengals bringing back Eric Winston

Offensive tackle Eric Winston posted on his twitter account that he's returning to Cincinnati in 2015. Winston signed with the Bengals last December after a season-ending injury to Andre Smith, who was originally replaced by Marshall Newhouse.

The 31-year-old Winston started every game from 2007 through 2013 with the Texans, Chiefs and Cardinals before signing with the Seahawks last year; he was among their final roster cuts. That allowed Cincinnati to sign him late in the year, and they apparently liked what they saw from him in that short time.

Winston is projected as a backup offensive tackle, who may backup Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith at both tackle positions - one can also assume that this move suggests that Newhouse, also an unrestricted free agent, won't be returning.

After Smith suffered a season-ending elbow injury, Newhouse struggled as his replacement (not that J.J. Watt is THAT big of a problem). Once they finished their Clint Boling experiment at offensive tackle, the Bengals signed Winston on Dec. 2. He started the final three games at right tackle, including the team's postseason loss against the Colts. In those five games, Winston generated a cumulative -6.3 grade by Pro Football Focus with a -7.0 mark against the Colts.