With James Wright injured, the Cincinnati Bengals have signed another wide receiver to take his spot on the 53-man roster.
That man is Desmond Lawrence, an undrafted free agent receiver out of North Carolina A&T. Lawrence was actually signed by the Detroit Lions in May but was released days later.
This past season, Lawrence caught 42 passes for 386 yards and two touchdowns in a run-heavy offense. He also had a kickoff return average of 33.1 yards. In 2013 during Lawrence's junior season, he played in 11 games with seven starts and caught 38 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns.
Back at his Pro Day in April, Lawrence ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 and 4.38 seconds. He also registered a 34 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 9'10" broad jump. He did the 20-yard short shuttle in 4.15 seconds, the three-cone drill in 6.93 seconds, and had 18 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.
In June, Lawrence finished seventh in the 100-meter dash at the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. He ran a 10.24 100-meter dash two days after running a personal-best 10.12 to qualify for the final.
It looks like the Bengals wanted Lawrence more for his speed and returner ability to potentially challenge Brandon Tate for his returner spot. Lawrence didn't do much as a pass-catcher in college, but frankly, neither has Tate for the Bengals.
Here are some highlights of Lawrence in action: