Center Kyle Cook never caught on with another team after being released by the Bengals in March and now it looks like he won’t be doing it in the future either.
Adam Caplan of ESPN reports that Cook has decided to retire after six seasons. Cook went undrafted out of Michigan State in 2007, made his debut with the Bengals the next season and moved into the starting lineup in 2009. He started 66 games before his release, including all 16 last season.
Caplan writes that Cook was the best free agent center available, an opinion he shares with PFT’s Michael Wilkening, and that makes one wonder if he could be persuaded to rethink his decision if a team came calling after an injury during the regular season. Cook wasn’t great last season, but that kind of experience has value at an important spot on the offensive line.
The Bengals drafted center Russell Bodine in the fourth round and the signs coming out of Cincinnati are that he’ll be the starter come September 7.