I think this was an unnecessary risk. Everyone knows about Pacman Jones’ character issues, his rough legal past, and the rumors out there that several of his past teammates didn’t like playing with him, so that’s obviously a risk, especially for a team like the Bengals who already have a locker room full of “reclamation projects.”

Also, Pacman Jones was not that productive the last time he was in the NFL and that was over a year ago. I can guarantee you, he would not have been cut by the Cowboys in January 2009 if he was playing well. He only averaged 4.5 yards per punt return and 22.1 yards per kick return (on only 7 returns) and couldn’t crack the starting lineup as a cornerback, as was expected of him. He was a great cornerback and a great athlete in 2005 and 2006, but struggled in 2008 after a year off, and now he’s had another year away from football. Reports out of Cincinnati is that he’s done well in workouts, but I have some doubts about he’ll play on the field. Adjusting to game speed is a tough thing to do after a year off and he’s only played 9 games in the last 3 seasons.

He does have some upside, but I do have my doubts about whether or not he’ll fulfill that upside. Furthermore, he doesn’t fill a need. The Bengals have one of the best cornerbacking duos in the league with Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall and they drafted a very solid cornerback in Brandon Ghee in the 3^rd round this year. Even if Pacman Jones does pan out in terms of upside, he could have some trouble seeing the field and I don’t think the rumors that he could play safety make much sense either. Safety isn’t a huge need either and Pacman Jones hasn’t played safety in a while, if ever (I’m not familiar with his high school career). I’m not sure that he even fills a need on special teams (where he really struggled last time he played). They have solid punt returners in Quan Cosby and rookie Jordan Shipley as well as a solid kick returner in Bernard Scott.

Overall, I think Pacman Jones has a very slight chance of becoming the player he once was again, I don’t think he fills a major need, and I, obviously, think he could be a risk in terms of character (though I hope he has changed), so I really feel that this is an unnecessary risk, especially for a team like the Bengals with a shotty record character wise in years past. Also, I would like to comment and say that the Bengals are the most predictable team in the NFL. In an offseason where the Raiders didn’t draft on speed alone in the first round, it’s nice to know that the Bengals will always take chances on guys with character issues, Carlos Dunlap in the 2^nd round (DUI, low motor/work ethic), Matt Jones as a free agent (drug arrest), Antonio Bryant as a free agent (bad locker room guy, only plays for contracts), and now Pacman (you know the story).

Grade: C