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The Bengals are enjoying their week off, but they’re also keeping tabs on potential free agent additions.
With Carl Lawson done for the year, the Bengals worked out several pass-rushers this week, the most notable being defensive Kony Ealy.
Bengals tryouts reported: DEs Kony Ealy, Ryan Russell; LBs Kasim Edebali, Tyrone Holmes, Aaron Wallace; TE Ben Koyack; FBs Aaron Ripkowski, Shane Smith.
— Howard Balzer (@HBalzer721) October 31, 2018
Ealy, a former second-round pick of the Panthers, has 15 career sacks in 62 games with the Panthers and Jets. He spent his first three years in Carolina before being waived and claimed by New York last year, where he recorded one sack, nine pass deflections and 14 tackles in 15 games.
Defensive end Ryan Russell is in his fourth NFL season after originally being a fifth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2015. After one year in Dallas, he was waived and claimed by the Buccaneers, where he recorded three sacks and 21 tackles and three sacks in 22 games over the last two seasons.
Aaron Ripkowski was a starting fullback for the Packers before being released this year. The Bengals have not had a fullback/h-back this year after cutting Ryan Hewitt before the season.
Shane Smith was a starting fullback for the Giants in 2017 and made the roster this year before being cut after making two appearances.
Linebacker Kasim Edebali is a career reserve who has appeared in 61 career games with the Saints, Broncos and Lions. He has 55 tackles and eight sacks in his career.
Aaron Wallace is another linebacker who’s spent most of his career coming off the bench in 13 career games over the past three seasons with the Titans, making 17 total tackles.
Tyrone Holmes is a reserve linebacker who’s appeared in 15 games with the Chiefs over the last two seasons while making nine tackles.
Finally, tight end Ben Koyack is a third-year player who appeared in 30 games (10 starts) over the last two seasons with the Jaguars, making 24 grabs for 199 yards and one score. He was waived this year with an injury settlement, so it appears he’s now healthy enough to sign with a team.
The Bengals certainly could use more depth at defensive end, linebacker and tight end, so any one of these players could be signed in the future. As for the fullbacks, it’s unclear if the Bengals want to get back to having one to boost their ground game, which has been doing well in recent weeks, and Joe Mixon is typically at his best out of the shotgun without a fullback.