Wednesday, December 15, 1999
Bengals sign veteran CB Carter
BENGALS NOTEBOOK
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Bengals may have signed their much-needed veteran cornerback Tuesday, two months before free agency begins.
They claimed Chicago's Tom Carter (NFL.com profile) off waivers, and made room for the former first-round draft pick by releasing cornerback Rico Clark.
Carter, who signed a five-year, $13.8 million deal with the Bears before the 1997 season, has gone this year from starter to nickel back to inactive for Chicago's last game with Green Bay. He started six of the first seven games, but was plagued by pass interference penalties.
Bengals secondary coach Ray Horton was surprised Carter was available and delighted to get him. Horton coached him at Washington, the team that took Carter with the 17th pick in the 1993 draft. The Redskins thought enough of him to make him a transition free agent before he signed with the Bears.
“He's tall, has big hands and is a great athlete,” Horton said. “He plays the ball better than any of our guys right now.”
The 6-foot Carter's 24 career interceptions also make him the team leader.
The Bengals pick up $375,000 of his '99 salary, then have to decide if he's worth a contract calling for $2.2 million in 2000 and $2.4 million in 2001.
“We'll bring him in, evaluate him and see if he can hold up,” Bengals President Mike Brown said. “We think he can cover.”
AKILI LOOKS AHEAD: Bengals rookie quarterback Akili Smith is officially looking ahead to the offseason, acknowledging there aren't enough weeks left in the sea son for him to get ready to play.
After the season, he'll take a month off in his hometown of San Diego. He then will return to Cincinnati to begin workouts in an effort to prove he isn't injury-prone.
“I couldn't believe it, but I read that the other day,” Smith said. “Somebody wrote that, and I've only been hurt twice since I started playing in Mighty Mites.”
Smith hopes his severely sprained right big toe will be healed by February, so he can start throwing with zip instead of just playing light catch.
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