By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Powell NFL.com profile

The Bengals signed their first free agent of the year Saturday, defensive lineman Carl Powell, and have at least two more players scheduled for visits early this week.

Kick return specialist Jermaine Lewis will be in Monday, and cornerback Denard Walker is expected Tuesday or Wednesday.

Powell, 29, who played for Bengals coach Marvin Lewis last season when Lewis was Washington's defensive coordinator, is expected to challenge for the starting job at left defensive end.

"One of the appealing things about Carl is he can play inside and out," Lewis said Saturday night. "He's an athletic guy who makes plays and works hard. He's an uplifting guy in the locker room and the meeting room."

Powell played in 14 games for the Redskins and had 31 tackles and three sacks. He is 6 feet 2, 272 pounds and played in 16 games as a reserve for the Bears in 2001. Powell was a member of the 2000 Ravens, though he did not play in a game; Lewis was Baltimore's defensive coordinator.

Powell wanted to play for Lewis and his former Redskins position coach Ricky Hunley - now the Bengals' linebackers coach.

Reached Saturday in Las Vegas, where he was to attend the Roy Jones Jr. fight that night, Powell said he understands Lewis' defense and how to play it successfully.

"It takes hard work and hustle. You have to know your assignment and be accountable," Powell said. "Once you get the defense, (Lewis) keeps you moving. You're not going to stand still and be a target."

Powell is versatile, having played all four spots on the defensive line. His three sacks came from three different positions, he said, although end is his most comfortable spot.

He received $500,000 to sign and will get roughly $1.7 million in each of the two years.

Improving the defensive line is one of Lewis' offseason priorities.

The Bengals also have interest in another Redskins defensive lineman, tackle Daryl Gardener. The Bengals also are expected to attempt to sign defensive tackle Sam Adams, released last week in a salary cap move by the Raiders.

Powell could replace Vaughn Booker at left end.

Effective when he plays, Booker missed 10 games due to assorted injuries in 2002. Booker is due a $2 million base salary this coming season, and the Bengals could save $667,000 against the cap by cutting him.

Powell's is believed to be one of the quickest free agent signings in franchise history, coming on just the second day of NFL free agency.

The team lost its starting fullback, Lorenzo Neal, on Day 1, when he signed a three-year contract worth $4.5 million with San Diego.

"He got $1 million to sign, which was the difference," Lewis said of Neal.

Lewis wanted to keep Neal and also would like to hang onto linebacker Takeo Spikes.

Spikes, reached Saturday in Las Vegas where he also was attending the fight, said three teams have expressed serious interest in him.

"They're looking real hard," said Spikes, the Bengals' leading tackler in four of his five seasons.

Spikes said a report that he was making a visit Monday to Buffalo was false.

"Nah, man," he said.

One of Spikes' defensive teammates, safety Cory Hall, visited Houston on Saturday.

"There would be no extensive learning period of the defense," Hall said in Houston. "I'm familiar with (coach) Dom Capers as far as coming from Dick LeBeau. I know this defense, and I want to win."

LeBeau, formerly the Bengals' head coach, served with Capers on the Steelers staff in the early 1990s.

The Bengals aren't taking visits lightly. Lewis said the team would entertain only players who have a serious interest in Cincinnati. Jermaine Lewis and Walker are two of those players.

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, a division rival of the Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.

At 6-1, 190 pounds, Walker is a big cornerback who can cover the increasingly larger NFL wide receivers.

John Hamilton, Walker's agent, did not return phone messages left Saturday. Arizona and Minnesota also are interested in his client.

Jermaine Lewis is a two-time Pro Bowl return specialist with the Ravens and has six career punt returns for touchdowns.

He has what Marvin Lewis calls vertical speed and could fill a reserve role as a wide receiver in multiple-receiver sets.

Comings and goings

The Bengals have been busy in the first two days of free agency. Here's a list of players they're interested in.

Player	Position	Previous Club	Comment
Sam Adams	DT	Raiders	Interested in Bengals, Bills, Redskins.
Shawn Barber	LB	Eagles	Says Chiefs are first choice.
Doug Brzezinski	G	Eagles	Visiting Cincinnati this week.
Mo Collins	G	Raiders	Bengals interested.
Daryl Gardener	DT	Redskins	Bengals one of six teams interested.
Donald Hayes	WR	Patriots	Bengals like him as speed receiver.
Jermaine Lewis	WR-KR-PR	Texans	Visiting Bengals Monday.
Carl Powell	DL	Redskins	Signed Saturday by Bengals.
Denard Walker	CB	Broncos	Headed to Cincinnati for visit.
Cory Hall	S	Bengals	Visiting Houston, Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.
Nicolas Luchey	FB	Bengals	Lo Neal's possible replacement visiting Bengals this week.
Lorenzo Neal	FB	Bengals	Signed Friday with Chargers.
Takeo Spikes	LB	Bengals	Says three teams are interested in him.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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