The Cincinnati Bengals announced a smaller move this week by signing defensive back Maurice Smith and waiving Tristian Vizcaino.
Smith, a third-year player who went undrafted in 2017, was one of four players to work out with the Bengals recently on a tryout basis. The team had previously signed two more of those guys on Tuesday.
The defense needs as much help as it can get in the secondary right now. Trae Waynes, a big free-agent signing, is slated to miss most of 2020 with an injury. Safety Shawn Williams recently left a practice on a cart. And Mackensie Alexander, another recent free-agent signing, left the team to search for his missing father.
All this after the Bengals worked hard to revamp the secondary this offseason by letting go of names like Darqueze Dennard and Dre Kirkpatrick. Williams was already getting phased out by free-agent arrival Vonn Bell.
Smith arrives as a promising younger player sure to soak up some snaps all over the place and given the circumstances, he has a chance to prove himself and maybe sneak onto the roster in some fashion.
