The Bengals have agreed to sign Chidobe Awuzie to a three-year deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). Awuzie missed half of the Cowboys’ season due to injury, but the Bengals believe in his potential.
Awuzie finished 2020 with 38 stops, five passes defensed and one interception. All in all, he has 213 tackles, four interceptions, 37 pass deflections and two forced fumbles across four pro seasons. He’s been a consistent starter for the Cowboys, though fans have been mostly lukewarm on him since he was selected in the second round of the 2017 draft.
Awuzie isn’t great in man-to-man coverage, but he’s much stronger in zone coverage. Utilized properly, he could be a solid contributor, though he definitely won’t be able to replace the production of William Jackson III. Jackson, who has started at least 13 games in each of the past three seasons, is a free agent and could score a top-of-the-market deal.
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