Corey Dillon | ZOOM |

        GEORGETOWN, Ky. — The Bengals reached a verbal agreement Wednesday afternoon on a one-year contract with All-Pro running back Corey Dillon, lifting his teammates' spirits and finishing a productive offseason for the front office.

        The deal is for $3 million with a bonus of at least $700,000 at signing. Dillon will receive $300,000 more at midseason.

        “It was a long process,” Dillon said Wednesday night from his Seattle home. “It was a war. It went back and forth. I'm just glad we've come to a mutual agreement.”

        Dillon will report and sign the contract today. He will meet the team in time to catch its afternoon charter flight to Atlanta for Friday night's preseason game against the Falcons. Dillon will be in uniform but will not play, coach Bruce Coslet said.

        “He's a weapon,” Coslet said. “That's why we paid him all of that money. It means a lot to the team. It means a hell of a lot to the defense. If (Dillon) can keep the chains moving, it keeps the defense off the field.”

        Dillon's agreement brings closure to a sometimes heated dispute that began in ear nest after the Jan.2 season finale in Jacksonville. Dillon said he would never play for the Bengals again.

        As the months wore on, Dillon said he wanted respect and $3 million a season in a multiyear deal.

        After turning down a tender of $1.37 million, Dillon would have made about $553,000 this season, which is a 10-percent raise over his 1999 salary.

        “I'm happy. I'm absolutely happy,” Dillon said. “It's a big difference from what I was going to make.”

        The negotiation process between Bengals executives and Dillon's agent, Marvin Demoff, intensified last Thursday when the club enacted a provision of the collective bargaining agreement. It meant Dillon would be ineligible to play in the

        Sept.10 regular-season opener if he didn't sign and report to training camp by midnight tonight. He would not have been allowed to dress for the Atlanta preseason game.

        “It was helpful,” Bengals president Mike Brown said of the provision, otherwise known as the five-day letter. “If we didn't reach an agreement, there would be penalties for both sides.”

        On Monday, the team increased its offer to $2 million a season with two incentive clauses worth another $1.05 million. By Monday night, the deal was up to $2.5 million.

        Dillon, who rushed for more than 1,100 yards in each of his three NFL seasons, was prepared to sit out this season's first 10 games. He would have needed to be active for six games to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end.

        He did sign the Bengals' loyalty clause, Brown said. It gives the club a way to reclaim bonus money if a player fails to honor his contract.

        Dillon is optimistic about the Bengals' chances in 2000.

        “We're looking very solid,” Dillon said. “We went from so-so to a contender in the AFC. I mean, hey, we went out and got some key guys. We beefed up in spots. They've made a lot of positive moves.”

        Dillon's signing completes what team officials consider a successful offseason. All of this year's draft picks are signed and in camp, and top pick Peter Warrick was in early. Three veteran defensive starters — Vaughn Booker, Tom Barndt and Darryl Williams — were signed as free agents.

        “We needed him,” Brown said of Dillon. “He was the one player that was important, who had to come in. We played our cards. We have done the things we thought we could do to make the team better.”

        Four unproven backs — Michael Basnight, Brandon Bennett, Sedrick Shaw and rookie Curtis Keaton — were competing for Dillon's spot.

        “Our running backs were doing pretty good without Corey here, but it's still not the same,” Coslet said. “You like to have all of your best players and as many of them as you can get.”

        The team is feeding off the good news.

        “It's like when you sign your first-round draft choice early or sign a respected veteran free agent,” Coslet said. “You see the possibilities.”

        Veteran tight end Tony McGee reflected on the new starters at the skilled positions — quarterback and receiver — and welcomed Dillon's return. Gone from 1999 are free-agent quarterback Jeff Blake and receiver Carl Pickens. Cincinnati's one proven veteran receiver, Darnay Scott, broke his leg last week and will be out for the season.

        “C'mon, as optimistic as you wanted to be, when you take away the starting quarterback, two receivers and a running back ... you have to have that one constant,” McGee said. “It's great. It's 1,200 yards. Corey is mature enough to put everything with the organization behind him and come in and work hard.”

        Second-year quarterback Akili Smith, who played in seven games as a rookie with four starts, is being counted on heavily to lead the offense.

        “It takes a lot of pressure off me,” Smith said. “We'll always be ahead of the down. If it's first down and he makes it 4 or 5 yards, it's second-and-4 or 5 and we just continue to have those long-play drives.

        “Nothing against the other running backs — I don't want to start a controversy with those guys — but Corey Dillon is a proven running back. He's rushed for 1,000 yards the last three years and is capable of doing it again.”

        Offensive tackle Willie Anderson is a big Dillon fan.

        “He jacks everybody up,” Anderson said. “A lot of our plays have been set up for him.”

        Dillon, who didn't want to talk about the possibility of a long-term contract with the Bengals, promised to do what is asked of him while he is in Cincinnati. He'll pick up any slack in Scott's absence.

        “That was a freak thing. I got chills. My heart goes out to Darnay,” Dillon said of Scott's injury. “As far as the offense is concerned, I'm here to do whatever I can, and if I have to face more responsibility, so be it.”

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