By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Many signings of NFL free agents at this time of the year involve largely anonymous young players with little experience and little chance of making a roster.

The Bengals signed two players Friday who've had success in the league and are intriguing if for no other reason than name recognition.

Signed were running back Skip Hicks, a third-round pick by the Washington Redskins in 1998, and former Ravens cornerback Alvin Porter.

At 6 feet, 230 pounds, Hicks is a big back whose best NFL season came as a rookie. He had 433 rushing yards and eight touchdowns for the Redskins. He played in 29 games with eight starts in three seasons in Washington, leaving the Redskins after the 2000 season with 12 of his 13 career touchdowns.

He last played in a game Dec. 22, 2001, for Tennessee. Hicks, cut coming out of training camp with the Titans in 2002, signed with Carolina that December. He was inactive for two games and had been out of the league since being waived Aug. 25 by the Panthers. Hicks, 29, is best known for his college career. He holds the UCLA record with 55 career touchdowns.

Porter, 5-11, 175, played for Bengals coach Marvin Lewis in Baltimore as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2001. Lewis was Ravens defensive coordinator, and Porter, 26, played in all 16 games with eight tackles and one interception.

In 2002, after Lewis had left to be Washington's defensive coordinator, Porter ended up starting five times while appearing in all 16 games for the Ravens. He had 41 tackles in 2002 and played in one game with them in 2003 before being waived Oct. 6. The signings of Hicks and Porter bring the Bengals' offseason roster to 68, including the three players who ended the season on the injured reserve list.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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