According to multiple reports Wednesday, the Bengals claimed undrafted rookie wide receiver Chris Brown off waivers when the Cowboys cut him after he spent all year on injured reserve with a broken foot suffered in training camp.
Mark this one under due diligence. They'd still like to re-sign veteran Brandon LaFell and were encouraged by sixth-rounder Cody Core's play late in the season. But the Bengals saw a lot of the 6-2, 193-pound Brown during last year's scouting process because they were fully vetting his running mate at Notre Dame, Will Fuller, and they liked him enough to inquire about him after the draft.
Brown was invited to the NFL scouting combine but chose to run at his Pro Day, where he clocked 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash, according to CBS Sports.com. He was a sprinter, long distance jumper, and high jumper for the U.S. Junior national track team in 2011 coming out of Hanahan, S.C.
Brown could be lining up for an audition with Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons. The scouting report from CBS Sports said, "There isn't much that separates (Brown) from others, but he makes the tough catches and pays attention to the details, including as a blocker and on special teams, which could keep him on a NFL roster."
