With the Bengals losing Geno Atkins for the rest of the season, Cincinnati seemed like an obvious potential destination for free-agent defensive tackle Jay Ratliff. And Cincinnati is officially a potential destination.
Ed Werder of ESPN reports that the Bengals contacted Ratliff after losing Atkins.
The list of potentially interested teams now expands to four, with the Bears, Dolphins, and Chiefs also chasing Ratliff.
The willingness of the Bengals to consider Ratliff should be regarded as an encouraging development by other interested teams. Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer coached Ratliff for his first two NFL seasons. If Zimmer had steered clear despite the clear need, it would have been a huge red flag.
With Zimmer interested in a Ratliff reunion, interested teams should now be boxing each other out to plant the flag on his property.