Bengals sign CFL CB Winston Rose to futures contract

A day after the Bengals claimed cornerback Tony Brown off of waivers, Cincinnati has added another young cornerback to the mix.

The Bengals today signed free agent CB Winston Rose to a Reserve/Future contract, per the team’s website.

For the last past three seasons, Rose has been making his name in the Canadian Football League. This past season, he became a Grey Cup champion with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers; playing in all 18 games and earning CFL All-Star honors after recording a league-best nine interceptions. He was previously with the BC Lions and tied for the league lead in interceptions with five last year.

The last time Rose was in the NFL was in 2016. After playing college ball at New Mexico State University, the Los Angeles Rams signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He ended up playing for the Indianapolis Colts in the preseason that year, but was waived before the regular season began. The next year, he signed with the the Ottawa Redblacks and had been in the CFL ever since.

Like Brown, Rose will not count against the Bengals’ roster until after the Super Bowl. With two young cornerbacks soon to be in the building, it’s a telltale sign that changes are happening at that position. Dre Kirkpatrick is a likely candidate to be cut and Darqueze Dennard is an impending free agent, so adding players now makes sense in preparation for turnover at the position.