A fourth-year NFL player in 2014, Rey has made big strides since signing with Bengals in ’10 as a college free agent out of Duke ... Led team in tackles this season (121) by a margin of 30 ... Led team or tied for team lead in tackles in each of the last seven games ... Played in every game and started 13, and is now in No. 1 LB role on depth chart, after Vontaze Burfict’s move to Reserve/Injured list ... Started Games 3-4 and 8-16 of this season, replacing Burfict, and started Games 6-7 at MLB in place of Rey Maualuga ... Had the team’s three highest game-totals for tackles on the season, led by 16 on Oct. 19 at Indianapolis ... Emerged in 2013 as a key performer on the NFL’s third-ranked defense ... Can play all three LB positions ... On Nov. 10 of last season at Baltimore, became the only player in Bengals history with three sacks and one INT in a game ... Has played in every Bengals game since start of the 2011 season ... Ranked third on team in 2013 with 11 special teams tackles.
A fourth-year NFL player in 2014, Rey has made big strides since signing with Bengals in ’10 as a college free agent out of Duke ... Led team in tackles this season (121) by a margin of 30 ... Led team or tied for team lead in tackles in each of the last seven games ... Played in every game and started 13, and is now in No. 1 LB role on depth chart, after Vontaze Burfict’s move to Reserve/Injured list ... Started Games 3-4 and 8-16 of this season, replacing Burfict, and started Games 6-7 at MLB in place of Rey Maualuga ... Had the team’s three highest game-totals for tackles on the season, led by 16 on Oct. 19 at Indianapolis ... Emerged in 2013 as a key performer on the NFL’s third-ranked defense ... Can play all three LB positions ... On Nov. 10 of last season at Baltimore, became the only player in Bengals history with three sacks and one INT in a game ... Has played in every Bengals game since start of the 2011 season ... Ranked third on team in 2013 with 11 special teams tackles.
Career transactions: Signed with Cincinnati as college free agent on 4-30-10 ... Waived by Bengals on 9-4-10 ... Signed to Bengals practice squad on 9-5-10 ... Signed to Bengals roster on 12-8-10 ... Re-signed with Bengals on 3-12-12 ... Re-signed with Bengals as exclusive-rights player on 4-3-13 ... Re-signed with Bengals as restricted free agent on 3-15-14.
2014 highlights: Has played in Games 1-16 (13 starts) and led team with 121 tackles, with five passes defensed ... Had four tackles and a team-high two passes defensed on Sept. 7 at Baltimore ... Started at MLB on Oct.19 at Indianapolis and posted team season-high in tackles (16) ... On Nov. 6 vs. Cleveland, tied for second on team with 10 tackles ... Led led team with 12 tackles on Nov. 16 at New Orleans ... Led team with 10 tackles Nov. 23 at Houston ... Tied for team lead with seven tackles in start at WLB on Nov. 30 at Tampa Bay ... Led team with 15 tackles, second-highest Bengals total this season, on Dec. 7 vs. Pittsburgh, and also had a pass defensed ... Tied for team lead with six tackles on Dec. 14 at Cleveland ... Led team with 11 tackles on Dec. 22 vs. Denver ... Tied for team lead with seven tackles and had a pass defensed on Dec. 28 at Pittsburgh.
Previous seasons: 2010—Played in all five preseason games for Bengals and tied for third on team in tackles (15) ... Opened season on practice squad, and signed to roster the week of Game 13 ... Inactive for Games 13-14, and played in Games 15-16 ... Made NFL debut Dec. 26 vs. San Diego, recording two special teams tackles.
2011—Finished fifth on special teams with nine tackles ... Had two special teams tackles Sept. 11 at Cleveland and Oct. 16 vs. Indianapolis ... Tied for special teams lead with two tackles Oct. 30 at Seattle.
2012—Made one start and had 18 tackles, one sack and one PD for season ... His 12 special teams tackles trailed only Dan Skuta (17) and Jeromy Miles (15) ... Started Sept. 16 vs. Cleveland at WLB, replacing injured Thomas Howard, and finished second on team in tackles (nine) ... Four tackles Sept. 23 at Washington ... Tied for the team lead in special teams tackles (two) Oct. 21 vs. Pittsburgh ... Led special teams with three tackles Dec. 30 vs. Baltimore ... Led team with three special teams tackles in Wild Card playoff on 1-5-13 at Houston.
2013—Played in Games 1-16, with starts in Games 9-11, replacing injured MLB Rey Maualuga ... Had 54 tackles on defense, after entering year with just 18 for his career ... Third on team in special teams tackles (11) ... Four sacks, two INTs (one returned for TD), a forced fumble, four passes defensed and tied for second on team with seven tackles-for-loss ... On Nov. 10 at Baltimore, became the first player in Bengals history with three sacks and one INT in a game ... On Oct. 6 vs. New England, stopped RB LeGarrette Blount for no gain on first-and-goal play from one in fourth quarter, and defense went on to hold Patriots to FG ... Had two tackles on the four plays of a goal-line stand Oct. 13 at Buffalo ... Led team with 10 tackles, including two for losses, in start Oct. 31 at Miami ... Had 13 tackles Nov. 10 at Baltimore, second on team, including three sacks of Joe Flacco for 19 yards, and intercepted a deflected Flacco pass in second quarter, returning four yards to Bengals 35 ... Had 13 tackles Nov. 17 vs. Cleveland, including one for loss and a QB pressure ... Returned to a reserve role on Dec. 1 at San Diego, recording two tackles and recovery of a Keenan Allen fumble in fourth quarter ... Six tackles Dec. 8 vs. Indianapolis, second on team ... Set up game’s first score Dec. 22 vs. Minnesota, with a sack-and-strip of Matt Cassel, with DE Carlos Dunlap returning fumble 42 yards to Vikings four ... Also vs. Minnesota, returned second quarter INT 25 yards for his first career TD ... One special teams tackle in Wild Card playoff on 1-5-14 vs. San Diego.
College: Played four seasons (2006-09) at Duke, seeing action in 48 games with 35 starts ... A two-year team captain, he left Blue Devils ranked ninth in program history in tackles (330) ... Averaged 106 tackles per year over his last three seasons ... Set school record with three fumble returns for TDs, and also had 28 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and three INTs.
Personal: Hometown is Far Rockaway, N.Y. ... Attended Bayside High School, and later spent one season at Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy ... In 2009, earned a University Scholar Athlete award from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame ... Enjoys bowling and movies ... Last name is pronounced “RAY.”
NOTE ABOUT NFL EXPERIENCE: Rey did not earn an accrued year of experience toward NFL free agency in 2010 because he was not on a 53-player roster, a Reserve/Injured list or a Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list for the required minimum of six games that season.
