By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Bengals on Friday signed wide receiver Ron Dugans to a one-year tender offer of $605,000.

Dugans, a three-year veteran from Florida State, was the last of the team's five restricted free agents to agree to offers from the Bengals.

Dugans was one of the team's most productive players in 2002. He had 47 receptions and a 9-yard average. He was second with 18 special-teams tackles and attracted the most attention from opposing blockers.

Interest in Dugans was muted because another team would have had to compensate the Bengals with a third-round draft pick.

Earlier this offseason, the Bengals signed other 2000 draft picks, Neil Rackers (kicker) and Brad St. Louis (long snapper), to similar contracts. Wide receiver Danny Farmer, the Steelers' fourth-round pick in 2000, agreed to a one-year, $605,000 offer this week.

The Bengals chose to match the three-year offer sheet linebacker Armegis Spearman had signed with Green Bay. Spearman was an undrafted rookie free agent in 2000 who had drawn the attention of former Bengals linebackers coach Mark Duffner, who has that job now with the Packers.

STILL HOPE: The Bengals still could sign free agent center Gennaro DiNapoli before making their next draft selection today, No. 33 overall, at about 5 p.m.

"It's not out of the realm of possibility," Anthony Agnone, one of DiNapoli's agents, said Friday.

The Bengals are not interested in re-signing Rich Braham and are likely to draft a center in the second through fourth rounds if DiNapoli doesn't sign.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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