Bengals' undrafted free agent project getting national attention

The Cincinnati Bengals finally added a linebacker after the NFL draft, going to the waiver wire to make it happen.

But the waiver wire claim didn’t match up with some of the public comments from the coaching staff about wanting to add a long-time veteran at the position.

An undrafted free agent won’t match that veteran requirement either…but it doesn’t hurt to hear that one college free agent the Bengals signed might end up being a steal down the road.

For The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner, Eric Gentry is one of the bigger surprises of undrafted free agency.

“An extremely long off-ball linebacker (6-6, 221, with 35-inch arms) with outstanding agility, Gentry is an old-school tweener without a true position — he’s too light to be an edge but too athletic to not be on the field somewhere,” Baumgardner wrote. “ I was surprised he went undrafted, even if he is a project.”

Gentry is an odd one from a physical standpoint for modern NFL linebacker positions. But his production and apparent unlockable upside easily made him one of the most interesting college free agents for the Bengals this year.

There are only so many roster spots to go around on the Bengals this summer. But how coordinator Al Golden envisions using Gentry in terms of role could play a big part here.

If nothing else, there’s always the practice squad, if the team likes the way he develops over the summer.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals' undrafted free agent project getting national attention