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The Cincinnati Bengals have officially agreed to terms with six undrafted free agents leading up to Friday’s rookie minicamp.
Drue Chrisman is a punter formerly of the Ohio State Buckeyes. In four seasons for the Buckeyes, Chrisman averaged nearly 44 yards per punt with only 20% of his punts being returned, per Pro Football Focus. Chrisman went to Cincinnati’s LaSalle high school before attending Ohio State, so he’s very much following the path of another Cincinnati native Kevin Huber.
Darius Hodge is a defensive end formerly of the Marshall Thundering Herd. The Bengals are listing him as a linebacker likely because of his size at 6’1” and 248 pounds. His best chance at making the final roster might be as a linebacker, but Hodge had a productive career as a pass rusher for Marshall. He racked up over 20 tackles for loss and 15 sacks in three seasons.
Riley Lees is a wide receiver formerly of the Northwestern Wildcats. During his career at Northwestern, Lees hauled in 111 receptions for 1,093 yards and nine touchdowns. He was also a return man for the Wildcats, returning 53 punts for 378 yards and 26 kicks for 542 yards in his career.
Antonio Phillips is a cornerback formerly of the Ball State Cardinals. In his four years at Ball State, Phillips started 29 games while recording 26 pass defenses and eight interceptions. Though he played and contributed for all four years, Phillips missed at least one game due to injury every year for the Cardinals.
Pro Wells is a tight end formerly of the TCU Horned Frogs. Wells lead TCU in touchdowns in each of the two seasons he started. He eventually got to TCU after making a stop at New York’s Milford Academy and then Northwest Mississippi Community College. Wells was originally going to play with Hodge at Marshall because he had an offer to play both football and basketball, and he ended up being his teammate anyway.
Pooka Williams is a running back formerly of the Kansas Jayhawks. During his three seasons at Kansas, Williams rushed for 2,382 yards on just 415 carries in addition to his 534 receiving yards on 66 receptions. He had off the field troubles at Kansas that helped him go undrafted, and now he gets a fresh start in the NFL.