Drew Brees works out at the scouting combine. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        INDIANAPOLIS — True to team president Mike Brown's word, the Bengals are shopping for rookie and free agent quarterbacks and appear headed for a four-way competition at training camp.

        The Bengals are interested in free agent veterans Brad Johnson, Rob Johnson, Gus Frerotte, Jon Kitna and Scott Mitchell, coach Dick LeBeau and offensive coor dinator Bob Bratkowski said Saturday afternoon at the annual NFL scouting combine.

        Among college quarterbacks in the draft, LeBeau likes Purdue's Drew Brees, and Bratkowski is high on Brees, Mike McMahon of Rutgers and Sage Rosenfels of Iowa State.

        “We're going to look at every option and, at the same time, continue to work with the players that we have,” LeBeau said.

        Third-year QB Akili Smith, who lost the starting job after Game 10, and Mitchell appear to be returning. The Bengals and Mitchell's agent began negotiations last week, and Mitchell, who was 2-3 in five starts, wants to come back.

        After Smith imploded in November en route to the NFL's lowest passer rating, Brown said he wanted one or two veterans and a rookie in camp to battle for the starting job.

        LeBeau, who was 4-9 as interim coach, is high on Brees and said: “I don't know of anyone who was more productive in college. We think he is a very accurate, productive, competitive quarterback. But I haven't had the chance to research him or any of the other quarterbacks completely.”

        The Bengals pick fourth overall, and Brees is the second-ranked QB in the draft. He probably wouldn't be available when the Bengals pick in the second round. Would Cincinnati invest its first pick on a quar terback, two years after using the No.3 overall choice to take Smith and give him a $10.8 million bonus to sign? Cincinnati could always trade down and get two first-round picks or an additional second-round pick for the No.4 slot.

        “We pick so early,” LeBeau said. “We'll try to put a number on them and rank them.”

        Brees, who led the Boilermakers to their first Rose Bowl since the mid-60s, participated in the combine Saturday.

“The Bengals are talking to me a little bit,” he said. “It's hard to tell how serious they are, but they have taken a big interest in me in the last couple of months.”

        Some of the knocks on Brees are his size, just a bit over 6-foot, arm strength and the spread offense he played in at Purdue.

        “He would have to show he can do some additional things in the NFL,” Bratkowski said. “You don't really know about a quarterback class until five years after they come out, but it wouldn't surprise me to see some under-rated quarterbacks do well in the league.”

        While he was still receivers coach for the Steelers, Bratkowski took a liking to McMahon, the 6-3 Rutgers quarterback who was the most valuable player for the Blue team in the Blue-Gray all-star game when he threw for 284 yards.

        McMahon has a quality Bratkowski values in quarterbacks: He gets rid of the ball quickly on pass plays.

        “You need to think quick, to make quick decisions,” Bratkowski said. “You don't need to have the strongest arm if you can go "boom-boom' through the progressions.”

        McMahon, who was 8-23 as a starter on bad Rutgers teams, completed 16 of 28 passes in the Blue-Gray Game. He has a strong arm and runs a 4.43 40-yard dash.

        “I'm very competitive,” McMahon said at the combine. “Wherever I'll go, I'll do my best. And if I'm picked in the fifth round, I'll want to prove I should have been taken in the second round.”

        Rosenfels is 6-4 and is considered a project for development. He did not participate in the combine but is considered one of the top five QBs in the draft, which is headed by Virginia Tech's Michael Vick.

        Another potential middle-round pick is Josh Heupel, who led Oklahoma to the national championship.

        He's 6-1 1/2, 215, and said his inflamed elbow, suffered in the Orange Bowl victory, has healed.

        “There's a lot of talented quarterbacks in the draft,” he said Saturday. “I can play quarterback in the NFL. I'm a winner. If I'm a third-round draft pick — the best quarterback of all time, Joe Montana, was a third-round pick.”

        As for the veteran free agents who interest the Bengals, tops on the list are two guys named Johnson, Rob of Buffalo and Brad of Washington.

        Rob Johnson appears to have lost out to popular veteran Doug Flutie and might be released. Brad Johnson wants out of Washington.

        “There's a guy out of that group of free agents, if not more than one, we will talk to and find out where they are,” Bratkowski said.

        Bratkowski, who was the Steelers receivers coach for the previous two seasons, was offensive coordinator for Seattle before then. With the Seahawks, he coached Kitna and John Friesz, who was released last week by New England.

        Kitna, who flourished then floundered under coach Mike Holmgren with the Seahawks the past two seasons, seems especially attractive to the Bengals.

        He was 259-of-418 passing for 2,658 yards, 18 touchdowns and 19 interceptions last season. He had a 75.6 passer rating, almost 25 points better than Smith and Mitchell.

        The quarterback question will get a great deal of attention through free agency, which begins March 2, and until the college draft. In the meantime, look for Mitchell to sign and to be in Cincinnati with Smith and the team's receivers beginning March 12.

        Smith, who has a hearing in early March for a DUI arrest in San Diego, has spoken with Bratkowski on the phone.

        “We had a good talk,” Bratkowski said. “He sounded very excited to get back.”

        Quarterbacks coach Ken Anderson will not be on the road scouting as much as other assistant coaches and will be working with the QBs and receivers in March.

        But the Bengals appear to be behind the Cleveland Browns in their offseason quarterback work.

        The Browns' new offensive coordinator, Bruce Arians, who also interviewed for the coordinator job in Cincinnati, has been working with quarterback Tim Couch. Couch, coming off a broken thumb on his throwing hand, is benefitting from Arians' attention and already has improved his mechanics, particularly on his drops, Cleveland head coach Butch Davis said Friday at the combine.

        Bratkowski and the offensive coaches are busy installing the Bengals' new offense, brought to Cincinnati by Bratkowski.

        “We're not behind,” he said. “We'll have plenty for the players to work on when they come here in March.”

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