Cincinnati Bengals sign Michael Boley

Cincinnati Bengals helmet on the field prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Bengals have signed some linebacker depth, as the National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson reports that the Bengals have signed Michael Boley. They worked him out last month during the regular season following the Week 1 game against the Chicago Bears, and the deal makes sense at this time for the Bengals. Their whole defense has been ravaged by injuries, and the linebackers were hit just as hard as the secondary by the injury bug.

Boley did not receive any interest during the offseason after being arrested for child abuse in May, and that happened shortly after the New York Giants released him. The Giants were actually considering re-signing Boley at a later date since they did not know about the chargers, but that was all out the door once the arrest came to light. That led to the non-existent interest that Boley had up until his workout with the Bengals last month.

I’m sure we’ll be in for a lot of “The Cincinnati Bengals just love signing convicts” kind of jokes, but this move makes sense for the Bengals. Boley is a consistent, veteran LB who can cover and play the run effectively, as he recorded 92 tackles and three picks for the Giants last season. The 31-year-old has had a successful career to this point, and he was a productive linebacker last season. For the Bengals, that was worth looking past the offseason arrest in order to sign him.

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