Team signs 14 college free agents, some with local roots

The Bengals today announced the signing of 14 college free agents.

The list includes five players with local/regional connections:

Defensive end Bryan Andrews of Wake Forest is from Lima (Lima High School);

Linebacker Matt Muncy of Ohio University is from Miamisburg (Miamisburg high);

Quarterback Jeff Smith of Georgetown College is from Fort Thomas (Newport Catholic HS);

Fullback Stan White played at Ohio State, and cornerback T.J. Wright played at Ohio University.

The complete list of today’s announced signings:

NAME / POSITION / HEIGHT-WEIGHT / COLLEGE / HOMETOWN

Bryan Andrews, DE, 6-5, 262, Wake Forest; Lima, Ohio

Daniel Coats, TE, 6-3, 257, Brigham Young; Layton, Utah

Earl Everett, LB, 6-3, 238, Florida; Webster, Fla.

Jesse Holley, WR, 6-2, 219, North Carolina; Roselle, N.J.

Xzavie Jackson, DE, 6-3, 278, Missouri; Vacaville, Calif.

Tony Kays, WR, 6-0, 194, California-Davis; Elk Grove, Calif.

Matt Muncy, LB, 6-1, 238, Ohio; Miamisburg, Ohio

Harrison Nikolao, G, 6-3, 305, Eastern Washington; Tacoma, Wash.

Elliot Seifert, OT, 6-7, 308, Temple; Reading, Pa.

Cameron Siskowic, LB, 6-1, 228, Illinois State; San Diego, Calif.

Jeff Smith, QB, 6-5, 235, Georgetown (Ky.) College; Fort Thomas, Ky.

Dane Uperesa, OT, 6-4, 309, Hawaii; Hauula (Oahu), Hawaii

Stan White, FB, 6-1, 249, Ohio State; Baltimore, Md.

T.J. Wright, CB, 5-10, 177, Ohio; Beaumont, Texas

Twelve of the 14 CFAs signed two-year contracts. Holley and Uperesa signed three-year contracts.

The CFA signees will have their first work with the team during this weekend’s minicamp (May 4-6) for rookies and eligible first-year players at Paul Brown Stadium.

The Bengals also have arranged for a number of unsigned players to work with the team during minicamp on a tryout basis. Five of these players have local/regional connections. WR Mark Burr of Urbana is from Cincinnati (Northwest HS). LS Pat Farfsing of the University of Cincinnati is from Cincinnati (St. Xavier HS). TE Steve Kosky of Miami (Ohio) is from Cincinnati (Anderson HS). DT Ellery Moore of Kentucky is from Massillon, Ohio (Washington HS). The aforementioned four players all are rookies, and CB Blue Adams, a fourth-year NFL player from the University of Cincinnati, will also participate on a tryout basis. Adams played for Tampa Bay last season.

Punter B.J. Sander will get a tryout this weekend at rookie minicamp. He is a third-year NFL player who was with Green Bay for 2004 and ’05, is a Cincinnati native (Roger Bacon HS) who played in college at Ohio State.

Also this morning, the Bengals today waived rookie linebacker Jason Berryman of Iowa State. Berryman had been signed as a free agent on Jan. 2. He was signed by club despite the knock of character concerns off the field.

According to the Des Moines Register, Berryman last played for the Cyclones in 2005, when he was third on the team with 72 tackles, had had several legal problems.

The Register reported: "In his last college game, the 2005 Houston Bowl, he collected 12 tackles and five sacks. As a freshman, he was named the Big 12's defensive newcomer of the year in 2003. Berryman, however, drew almost as much attention to himself off the field."

He was kicked off the team last January shortly after being ticketed for being "on premises under age" at a dance club. He had spent 258 days in the Story County jail for punching an Iowa State student and robbing him of $4 and a cell phone from in August 2004. He was released from jail in April 2005 and was allowed to rejoin the Cyclones that August.

Berryman applied for the 2006 NFL supplemental draft last summer but was not selected.