Bengals sign OT Reiff to help protect Burrow - 2 minutes read


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The Cincinnati Bengals signed offensive tackle Riley Reiff on Friday, the team announced.

Terms were not disclosed.

Reiff, 32, spent the previous four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and has experience playing the right and left tackle positions. The signing comes on the heels of a season in which Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending knee injury, and Cincinnati made it a priority to boost the offensive line this offseason.

Reiff visited the Bengals on Thursday and went to dinner at a local restaurant with some of the team's players, including Burrow, on Thursday night.

"Really impressed with [Burrow]. He looks great on film and he's even better off the field. Just the way he conducts himself. Down to earth. Cincinnati type guy. Tough. Midwestern. Blue collar. Comes to work," Reiff told the team's website.

Reiff ranked 37th in pass block win rate (an ESPN metric powered by NFL Next Gen Stats) when lined up as a tackle. The emphasis on improving Burrow's protection started at the end of the season, when the Bengals parted ways with offensive line coach Jim Turner and rehired Frank Pollack, who spent last season with the Jets but had previously been employed by the Bengals. The Bengals ranked 29th in PBWR in 2020.

The Vikings released Reiff earlier this month in a move that created $11.75 million in salary-cap savings.

Reiff signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2017, switching from right to left tackle in the process. He started 62 games, including the postseason, for the Vikings and allowed 12 sacks over four seasons.

A first-round pick of the Lions in 2012, Reiff played his first five seasons with Detroit. He has appeared in 135 regular-season games in his career, making 127 starts.

The news of Reiff's agreement was first reported by The Athletic.

ESPN's Courtney Cronin contributed to this report.



Source: www.espn.com - NFL