By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

In a surprise move this afternoon, the Bengals waived kicker Neil Rackers and acquired kicker Shayne Graham off waivers from Carolina.

Graham is a third-year NFL player. He went 6-for-8 on field goals in six games with Buffalo in 2001, and he was 13-for-18 last year in 11 games for Carolina. Graham is reunited in Cincinnati with Bengals special teams coach Darrin Simmons, who was the Panthers' assistant special teams coach in 2002.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis declined a request for comment on Rackers' release this afternoon following the team's practice.

Details were sketchy regarding Rackers' sudden departure from the team.

The Bengals also announced that they had waived defensive lineman Greg Scott and acquired linebacker Keyon Whiteside on waivers from Indianapolis.

Whiteside, who is 6-feet-0, 229 pounds, was the Colts' fifth-round choice in April and had played in all four preseason games. He had 18 tackles, including six against the Bengals on Friday night in Indianapolis.

Graham was not among the three place kickers and two punters the Bengals gave tryouts to on Sunday at their Paul Brown Stadium practice fields.

Graham lost a roster battle in Carolina's preseason with 13-year veteran John Kasay, who has been Carolina's No. 1 kicker when healthy since the franchise's inaugural season of 1995. Kasay missed the last 14 games of last season due to a sports hernia.

In the 2003 preseason for Carolina, Graham was 2-for-4 on field goals, connecting from 24 and 42 yards, and missing from 55 and 44 yards.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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