By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis took a dinner break at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, then headed back to work to usher in free agency, which began one minute after midnight this morning.

The Bengals already were lining up visits by three players released this month - cornerback Denard Walker (Denver), wide receiver Donald Hayes (New England) and kick return specialist Jermaine Lewis (Houston).

"We're talking to them," said Rick Smith, Hayes' Chicago-based agent. "We're trying to put a visit together."

Hayes had just 12 receptions for 133 yards and two touchdowns in his only season in New England. The Patriots released him last week, less than a year after signing him as a free agent from Carolina, where he started 31 games in four seasons and caught 132 passes. His best season was 2000, when he caught 66 passes for 926 yards.

"There's a chance," Marvin Lewis said when asked about the Bengals' interest in Hayes.

Walker, a six-year veteran, played the last two seasons for the Broncos. He had just one interception last year but was rarely beat for a big play. He played his first four NFL seasons for Tennessee.

"Yeah, we have an interest," Marvin Lewis said of Walker, who was a salary-cap cut by the Broncos.

Marvin Lewis also is familiar with Jermaine Lewis, a two-time Pro Bowl return man for the Ravens. Jermaine Lewis is expected to visit Cincinnati next week after a weekend visit to Miami.

"I want guys who can handle the ups and downs of a season, who can work through adversity," Marvin Lewis said.

The Bengals are not going to announce free agent visits in advance, and Lewis would not discuss players who were still under contract late Thursday.

One former Lewis player the Bengals are expected to pursue is Redskins defensive tackle Daryl Gardener. Washington made an effort to re-sign him, which failed, and the Bengals are believed to be one of three teams in the running for Gardener's services. The others are Denver and Dallas.

"I can't talk right now," Neil Schwartz, Gardener's agent, said Thursday.

Bengals linebacker Takeo Spikes and fullback Lorenzo Neal, two of the team's most productive players and top leaders, are now free agents.

Spikes and his agent, Todd France, did not return repeated phone messages Thursday, when a report from Philadelphia said the Eagles planned to make Spikes their top free agent priority. He also is expected to attract interest from Buffalo and New Orleans.

And the Bengals.

"We'll recruit him and visit with him like any other free agent," Lewis said.

The Bengals designated Spikes as their transition player, meaning they can match any offer he would receive as a free agent - a tag that also guarantees Spikes a $4.85 million one-year contract from the Bengals.

Neal, the team's only Pro Bowl player from 2002, is interested in playing for Lewis.

"It hasn't been as fruitful as I had hoped," said Steven Feldman, Neal's agent.

The Bengals are roughly $9.2 million under the $75 million salary cap for 2003.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

Significant NFL dates

Today: Veteran free agency signing period begins; trading period begins.

April 11-13: Bengals minicamp.

April 18: Signing period ends for restricted free agents.

April 25: Deadline for old clubs to exercise right of first refusal to restricted free agents.

April 26-27: NFL draft.

May 2-4: Bengals minicamp.

June 1: Deadline for old clubs to send tender to unsigned unrestricted free agents and receive exclusive negotiating rights for rest of season if player is not signed by another club by July 22. Deadline for old clubs to send tender to unsigned restricted free agents or to extend qualifying offer to retain exclusive negotiating rights.

June 9-11: Bengals minicamp.

June 15: Deadline for old clubs to withdraw original qualifying offer to unsigned restricted free agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights by substituting tender of 110 percent of previous year's salary.

July 22: Signing period ends at 4:00 p.m. for unrestricted free agents who received June 1 tender.

Return to Bengals front page...