»RELATED: Bengals adding one of NFL’s top pass rushers
The Cowboys’ 2017 second-round draft pick likely comes to Cincinnati as a replacement for Jackson, who officially becomes a free agent Wednesday with the start of the 2021 league calendar.
#Bengals agree to terms on a three-year deal with former #Cowboys CB Chidobe Awuzie, source says. Cincy continuing to make moves on defense. They liked the former second-rounder's athleticism and consistency.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 16, 2021
Awuzie was limited to eight games in 2020 because of a hamstring injury in Week 2 that put him on injured reserve for seven games and a brief stint on the COVID-19 list that caused him to miss the game against Cincinnati.
The 6-foot, 202-pounds athlete was considered one of the top available cornerbacks going on the market this offseason. According to Garafolo, the Bengals liked his athleticism and consistency. Awuzie picked off just four passes in four years but added 37 passes defensed and ranked No. 30 overall on the ESPN Top 100 free agents list for 2021 – one spot ahead of Jackson.
The cornerback is the second defensive player to agree to terms with the Bengals through the first 24 hours of the legal tampering period, when teams begin making their moves that then can be made official after free agency opens 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Former Bengals defensive end Carl Lawson – a fourth-round pick in 2017 – agreed to a three-year $45 million contract with the New York Jets on Monday evening, guaranteeing him $30 million. Shortly after that deal was reported, NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport and others broke the news that the Bengals were going to be signing former Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who ranked second in the league with 13.5 sacks in 2020.
Hendrickson agreed to a four-year, $60 million contract that guarantees $20 million in 2021 but nothing beyond that, according to ProFootballTalk on NBCSports.com. Half of that is a $10 million signing bonus, plus there is a $6 million roster bonus and a base salary of $3.8 million, plus other per-game roster bonuses.
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