By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Raiders cornerback Tory James keeps pace with the Titans' Derrick Mason during the third quarter of the AFC Championship game Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003. James reached an agreement with the Bengals Sunday. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

The Cincinnati Bengals added another defensive starter Sunday when the team reached an agreement with former Oakland cornerback Tory James on a four-year contract.

James, who will earn $3.6 million per year, is the fourth free agent signed by the Bengals. Cincinnati signed linebacker Kevin Hardy and defensive lineman John Thornton over the weekend after signing defensive lineman Carl Powell in the first weekend of free agency.

James, who will turn 30 on May 18, has played in 94 NFL games with Denver and Oakland. He has 19 career interceptions, including nine in the past two seasons with the Raiders.

He visited Cincinnati last week.

"He has done an excellent job on coverage," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said at the time. "He has played hurt. He has excellent size and speed."

James is 6-feet-2, 190 pounds. He played a game last season with a broken leg and had a plate inserted in the leg to play in the Super Bowl.

He played in 14 regular-season games and made 13 starts, a career high.

James was among six veterans released Feb. 27 by the Raiders to get the team down to the salary cap.

He had 45 tackles last season with four interceptions. James steadied an Oakland secondary that was hit hard by injuries, but the return of second-year cornerback Phillip Buchanon was believed to make James expendable.

James played college ball at LSU, where he started 29 games and had 11 career interceptions.

James is expected to start, and Lewis is believed to be looking at James, Artrell Hawkins and Jeff Burris as the team's top three cornerbacks.

Lewis has said a defensive back needs to be able to cover three or four receivers to be successful in the NFL.

James, like Thornton, has Super Bowl experience. And while Hardy has not been to the Super Bowl, he played in two AFC Championship games with Jacksonville.

Also on Sunday, the Bengals were believed to be closing in on a deal with former Atlanta tight end Reggie Kelly.

Fullback could be another area the Bengals look at with their remaining salary cap space.

Having let go of fullbacks Lorenzo Neal (San Diego) and Nicolas Luchey (whose six-year contract is expected to be announced today in Green Bay), the Bengals are without a starting fullback.

The list of remaining free agent fullbacks includes Marc Edwards, the Norwood native who played at Notre Dame and on New England's 2001 season Super Bowl team.

"We're going to keep evaluating fullbacks and other players who fit in what we're trying to do here," Lewis said late Sunday.

Lewis also had no comment about linebacker Takeo Spikes. Spikes signed an offer sheet on Friday with Buffalo, and as the Bengals transition player, the team has until Friday to match.

The Bengals are not expected to match, and an announcement could come as early as today.

The team has scheduled a news conference today at Paul Brown Stadium to introduce Hardy and Thornton to the local media. There's a chance James also could be there.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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