Ricardo Allen visiting Bengals

The official start of NFL free agency isn’t until March 17th. However, teams can host and even sign free agents who’ve been released by their previous teams this offseason.

Well, the first free agent the Cincinnati Bengals will host this month is safety Ricardo Allen, who is visiting today per a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Allen, a seven-year veteran, has played every season with the Atlanta Falcons prior to being released last month. He’s been a full-time starter since 2015 but has missed 17 games due to injury over the last three seasons.

In 77 career games (76 starts), the 5-9, 186-pound DB has recorded 340 tackles, 11 interceptions, six tackles for loss and 26 pass deflections. Allen finished last season with a 62.4 Pro Football Focus grade. His best season was in 2016 when he played in every game and finished with a 75.8 grade.

It makes sense for the Bengals to kick the tires on Allen, who could be a nice depth player at a reasonable price with backup safeties Brandon Wilson and Shawn Williams hitting free agency. Allen can also play slot cornerback, so he could help replace Mackensie Alexander if he also leaves in free agency.

We’ll see if anything comes of it.

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