9:27am: Sims will get a two-year contract from the Bengals, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, who observes (via Twitter) that it’s the defensive lineman’s first multiyear deal since his rookie contract.
8:44am: The Bengals have re-signed defensive tackle Pat Sims, the team announced today (via Twitter). Terms of the agreement aren’t yet known, but Sims is coming off a one-year deal with Cincinnati, so another short-term pact seems likely.
Having started his NFL career with the Bengals in 2008 after the team drafted him in the third round, Sims spent his first five seasons in Cincinnati before joining the Raiders in 2013. After two seasons in Oakland, the 30-year-old returned to the Bengals for the 2015 campaign.
In 2015, Sims appeared in just 179 defensive snaps, playing a rotational role up front and recording 16 tackles in his eight games. Paul Dehner of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sims’ role expand a little this season — the Bengals still have Geno Atkins and Domata Peko at defensive tackle, but Wallace Gilberry and Brandon Thompson are free agents.
The Bengals have made an effort to re-sign their own defensive free agents this month, bringing back defensive backs Adam Jones and George Iloka, as well as linebacker Vincent Rey, on new deals. Gilberry, Thompson, safety Reggie Nelson, cornerback Leon Hall, and linebacker Emmanuel Lamur are among the team’s defensive free agents who remain unsigned or have left for new teams.
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