Bengals among teams to show interest in Dede Westbrook

The Cincinnati Bengals, for the second-straight season, have had a solid offseason in terms of spending.

Adding Trey Hendrickson on the defensive line and Chidobe Awuzie at cornerback among several other additions the team has made to strengthen their roster this offseason, Cincinnati may not be done quite yet.

After bringing in a wide receiver with the No. 5 overall pick, the Bengals may be looking to sign former Jags receiver Dede Westbrook. ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweeted that the two sides have had “preliminary conversations.” The Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings have also shown interest.

Remember, the team did miss out on Kenny Golladay earlier this offseason. Westbrook is a free-agent wide receiver, spending last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had just one reception in two games.

A gruesome leg injury sidelined him for the season. Westbrook tore his ACL, one reason he slipped through the first wave of free agency. Westbrook will be entering his fifth season in the NFL after being a fourth-round draft pick in 2017.

The Bengals already have Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tyler Boyd as their main three-man receiving corps. Auden Tate and Mike Thomas may also get run as well. That’s where Westbrook would fit in. He has the talent.

Crazy enough, Westbrook had 101 receptions and 66 receptions in both 2018 and 2019, totaling over 650 yards in each season. He started the majority of games for the Jags in both seasons.

This will be Westbrook’s first contract after his rookie deal, so the injury couldn’t have come at a worse time.

With Cincinnati in the mix, I’d expect the receiver to weigh all his options, but at the end of the day, there’s no denying Kansas City may be the most enticing organization to show interest, especially after they lost Sammy Watkins this offseason to the Baltimore Ravens.

We’ll see who Westbrook chooses as offseason programs begin in the next few weeks. He should be looking to make a decision soon.