Terrell Owens is officially a Bengal.
And, by the way, the Bengals want to make sure you know that the proper pronunciation of Owens’ first name is "TAIR-el" (rhymes with "Darrell.")
Most everybody seems to be happy about Owens being a Bengal, except Freddie Brown, a first-year receiver from Utah who was waived today in the wake of the Owens signing.
Owens, an unrestricted free agent from Buffalo, comes to the Bengals as one of the most productive wide receivers in NFL history. He's got everything but a Super Bowl ring.
That fact, said Owens during the run-up to his signing with Cincinnati, is why he wants to be with the Bengals, a team he believes has a chance to offer him a golden opportunity late in his career to play for a Super Bowl winner.
Owens did not come to an agreement with the St. Louis Rams, the only other team that was believed to be a potential suitor for the future Hall-of-Fame receiver's services. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, went back to work on getting a deal with Cincinnati.
Owens, in his 14 previous NFL seasons with San Francisco, Dallas, Philadelphia and Buffalo has amassed 14,951 receiving yards (third in NFL history), 144 touchdown receptions (third in NFL history), 1,006 receptions (sixth all-time) and has earned six Pro Bowl selections and six All-Pro honors.
"The addition of Terrell brings another accomplished and productive player to our offensive team," head coach Marvin Lewis said. "When you add his kind of threat to your passing game, it helps your running game, too, because defenses have to account for it. We’ve witnessed it as a defense playing against him. We’ve been through the process of trying to prevent it."
Lewis is confident that the often controversial Owens will be on his best behavior while he fits in with his new team. Owens is friends with Chad Ochocinco and the two receivers share the same agent. T.O. also has been working out this summer with quarterback Carson Palmer in California.
"We have visited extensively with Terrell through the offseason," Lewis added. "We feel good about his goals and our team goals having the opportunity to match up."
Owens, a 6-foot-3, 224-pound player out of Tennessee-Chattanooga, started every game for Buffalo last season. He led the Bills in receptions (55), receiving yards (829) and yards-per-catch (15.1). He came to the Bills as an unrestricted free agent for 2009, after spending the 2006-08 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
Owens has played in 189 NFL games with 174 starts. He has proved durable over his career, missing just nine games due to injuries. He also has played and started in 12 postseason games, including Super Bowl XXXIX for Philadelphia (2004 season). He has 54 postseason receptions for 751 yards and five TDs.
Owens is $4 million worth of insurance ($2 million guaranteed) in case banged up deep threat Antonio Bryant succumbs to an old knee injury which flared up during off-season workouts, but there is no doubt that Owens will be a featured weapon in the attack.
If Bryant, Owens and Ochocinco all are healthy this season, the Bengals potentially will possess one of the most explosive passing attacks in the NFL one short year after putting on the field one of the most inept passing games in the league. And they will have one of the oldest receiving rotations around, as well.