Mike McCartney, the agent for rookie wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, said Friday that contract talks are headed in the right direction as the Bengals appear to be trying to wrap up their draft signings before players disperse after next week's mandatory minicamp.
McCartney said things have sped up since last week but he said an agreement had yet to be reached. Sanu, a third-rounder out of Rutgers, is expected to get snaps at both slot and outside receivers. He and the club's other third-rounder, Clemson defensive tackle Brandon Thompson, are the last of the 10 picks unsigned.
BOBBIE TO BALTIMORE: Bobbie Williams, who has started 118 of the 128 games the Bengals have played since he signed with them in 2004, agreed to a two-year deal in Baltimore, according to published reports. He spent all that time at right guard, but ProFootballTalk.com says he'll likely move to left guard in an effort to beat out youngsters Jah Reid, last year's third-round pick, and Kelechi Osemele, this year's second-round pick.
The Bengals have opted to go young there, eschewing a shot to re-sign the 35-year-old Williams even though he rehabbed with their training staff up until this week, installing first-round pick Kevin Zeitler as the starter. The Bengals also have as backups 2010 fifth-rounder Otis Hudson and 2011 fourth-rounder Clint Boling.
Williams had surgery to fix the broken ankle that knocked him out of the last four games of last season, but he remains a symbol of the toughness and physicality head coach Marvin Lewis sought to bring to his team, particularly in the AFC North.
Lewis's good friend, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, noticed.
"Bobbie is a guy who has been in the league for a long time," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said in a release via PFT. "We've played against him, and we like his style of play and his demeanor as a person and as a player. We're excited to have him as a member of our team."
OPEN DATE: The Bengals announced their home first training camp practice in their history is Friday, July 27 at 3 p.m. The rest of the camp sked is TBA.
