Brandon LaFell has agreed to a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals, a team in desperate need of a wide receiver to bolster their depth at the position. LaFell immediately becomes the favorite to start opposite A.J. Green, since the Bengals' trio of Mario Alford, James Wright and Jake Kumerow has five career receptions between them.
The Bengals could still target a wide receiver in the NFL Draft, but bringing in LaFell alleviates some of the pressure to do so. The New England Patriots released LaFell earlier this month two years into his three-year contract.
LaFell caught 74 passes in his first season with the Patriots, their most recent Super Bowl win, for 953 yards and seven touchdowns. His catch total dropped to 37 last season after he got off to a late start due to a foot injury. Last week, the Bengals seemingly tipped off the rest of the NFL that they were interested in LaFell, and losing Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones to other teams in free agency made him a natural fit. It is unclear how many competing offers LaFell considered, but the Bengals certainly give him the best chance to start right away and compete for targets. Of course, Green will be targeted more often, especially on touchdown strikes, but LaFell's 2014 season proves he too knows his way around the red zone. The Bengals may also like that he has postseason experience in the past two seasons. The team appears to be done signing free agents. LaFell seemingly confirmed the signing on Twitter by responding to a well wishes message from Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon. LaFell's agent confirmed the agreement to multiple reporters.
The Bengals won the AFC North with a 12-4 record, tying with the Patriots and Denver Broncos for the best mark in the conference. They certainly seem poised to return as the favorites in their division, though the Pittsburgh Steelers will have something to say about that.
The Carolina Panthers drafted LaFell in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. In four seasons there, he had 167 catches for 2,385 yards and 13 touchdowns.