Ex-Vikings OL Riley Reiff, Bengals Agree to Contract

Free-agent offensive tackle Riley Reiff agreed to terms on a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The Bengals seemed to confirm the move with the following tweet:

Reiff, 32, is set to enter his 10th NFL season after previous stints with the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings from 2012-20.

The Lions selected Reiff with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft out of Iowa, and he went on to spend five years in Detroit, primarily as a starter, before signing with Minnesota.

Reiff was the Vikings’ starting left tackle for the past four campaigns until getting released by the franchise earlier this month.

For his career, Reiff has appeared in 135 regular-season games, starting 127 of them. He has also made five playoff starts, including two in 2019.

While Reiff hasn’t appeared in all 16 games in a season since 2015, he started 58 of a possible 64 games during his four-year stint with the Vikes.

Reiff immediately becomes the Bengals’ most-experienced offensive lineman and brings some competition to the tackle spots.

Veteran Bobby Hart and 2019 first-round pick Jonah Williams were the primary starters at offensive tackle last season, but one of them figures to shuffle into a backup role or perhaps shift to guard now that Reiff is in the fold.

The play of the offensive line will be key in 2021, as quarterback Joe Burrow’s continued development could depend on it.

Burrow had his rookie season cut short by a torn ACL and MCL, placing even more emphasis on protecting him and keeping him healthy.

Reiff may not be elite, but he is a longtime starting tackle in the NFL who should bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to Cincinnati’s line.