Bengals re-sign Josh Tupou

The Cincinnati Bengals have re-signed defensive tackle Josh Tupou to a one-year contract, the team announced Thursday. Tupou signed the exclusive rights tender the Bengals extended to him on March 8.

Tupou, a third-year player in 2019, joined the Bengals as a college free agent out of the University of Colorado in 2017. He has played in seven games over his first two seasons, and has recorded nine tackles. He spent the final six games of 2018 on the Reserve/Injured list, due to a pectoral injury.

In the limited snaps Tupou has gotten in the NFL, he has shown flashes of being a capable run-stuffer in the middle, something that’s worked well next to Geno Atkins. And with Andrew Billings entering a contract year, the Bengals are playing it smart having two run-stuffing tackles for next season.

The Bengals did host Danny Shelton for a free agent visit this offseason. Had he signed with the team, that would have been bad news for Tupou, but it appears that won’t happen.