Thursday, February 10, 2000Dillon seeking long-term contract
Defense, backup QB top Bengals' free-agent needs
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati EnquirerThe agent for Bengals running back Corey Dillon said Wednesday he would like a long-term deal for his client before mini-camp opens, in order to avoid a repeat of recent contract squabbles.
With left tackle Rod Jones in the fold, the Bengals appear to be on the same page as agent Marvin Demoff. Bengals President Mike Brown said Wednesday his top priority heading into Friday's free-agency period is extending Dillon's contract.
The club also apparently has left a nest egg beyond its estimated $5 million free-agent pool in case it has to match another team's offer when Dillon becomes a restricted free agent Friday.
On Tuesday, the Bengals tendered Dillon a one-year, $1.37 million deal, making the compensation first- and third-round draft picks if the Bengals don't match another offer. But once the Bengals start negotiating, Demoff hopes it gets done before Dillon is to report to camp at the end of April.
“We don't want it to get acrimonious like it did with Ashley Ambrose and Carl Pickens,” Demoff said. “If we're close and things are going well and it would be a good idea for Corey to report, he'll go. But if it's not a good idea and we're not progressing, he probably won't go.”
Demoff insisted Dillon's lashing out at the club after the last game of the season, when he said he wanted out of Cincinnati, is a dead issue.
“The people involved had nothing to do with (head coach) Bruce Coslet and Mike Brown,” Demoff said. “This is a business, and right now what happens to Corey is simply a business matter.”
The Bengals also plan to find defensive help and a veteran backup quarterback when free agency opens. And that may mean some names familiar to Cincinnati could surface.
The Broncos are expected to cut defensive end Alfred Williams, a former No.1 Bengals draft pick who admires Brown and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. Packers defensive tackle Vaughn Booker, from Taft High School and the University of Cincinnati, was productive at age 31 last season.
Oakland Raiders backup quarterback Bobby Hoying, an Ohio State product, is also on the market. The Bengals tried to swing a deal for him last training camp and probably will make a run at him to replace Jeff Blake behind Akili Smith.
They are looking for a starting cornerback to replace Artrell Hawkins, but defensive line needs are almost as pressing. LeBeau confirmed Wednesday he's going to stick with the four-man defensive line that revived his unit the last half of last season.
LeBeau said outside linebacker Reinard Wilson is now a full-time end who will be asked to bulk up from 255 to about 265 pounds. But with a four-man line, the Bengals still have to fill possible free-agent departures of Kimo von Oelhoffen and Jevon Langford.
Along with Williams and Booker, other candidates are a player LeBeau drafted in Pitts burgh, Orpheus Roye, and Kansas City's Tom Barndt, whom the Bengals pursued last season as a restricted free agent.
“The four-man alignment fits us better,” LeBeau said. “It allows our linebackers to flow, and we're a quick, fast front.”
The Bengals will begin their annual quest for a starting cornerback with such players as Phillippi Sparks of the Giants, DeRon Jenkins of the Ravens, Terrell Buckley of the Dolphins, Aaron Beasley of the Jaguars, Jimmy Hitchcock of the Vikings and Steve Israel of the Patriots.
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