The Bengals on Thursday re-signed veteran tight end Reggie Kelly, who had become an unrestricted free agent on March 5. The team also signed cornerback Johnny Sears as a college free agent out of Eastern Michigan.
Kelly is a 12th-year NFL player in 2010. He joined the Bengals in 2003 as an unrestricted free agent from Atlanta. Kelly played in 90 games with 86 starts from 2003-08 with Cincinnati, but he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in a training camp practice on Aug. 3 last year and was subsequently placed on the Reserve/Injured list, where he spent the entire 2009 season.
For his career, Kelly has played in 152 games with 133 starts and has caught 184 passes for 1718 yards and five touchdowns. He also has played in three postseason games with two starts.
Sears participated in the Bengals rookie minicamp two weeks ago as an unsigned tryout player. He played and started nine games for Eastern Michigan last season. He ranked seventh on the Eagles defense with 37 total tackles (23 solo), and he led the team with seven passes defensed. He also was the Eagles No. 1 kickoff returner with 33 returns for 755 yards (22.9-yard average; long of 53).
