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          Cincinnati Bengals sign free-agent CB Eli Apple to one-year deal

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterMar 23, 2021, 08:08 PM
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          The Cincinnati Bengals have signed former first-round pick Eli Apple to a one-year deal, the team announced Tuesday.

          Apple, the No. 10 pick in the 2016 draft, was briefly with the Carolina Panthers in 2020 after previous stints with the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants, the team that drafted him out of Ohio State.

          Apple, 25, signed with the Panthers on a one-year deal worth $3 million. Apple battled injuries during his lone season in Carolina and was active for only two games before the team released him last October.

          Before joining the Panthers, Apple spent two seasons with the Saints after the Giants traded the cornerback to New Orleans after a rocky tenure with the club. At one point, Apple was suspended after just his second season with the club for conduct detrimental to the team. Apple started 25 games for the Saints over 2018 and 2019.

          He joins a Cincinnati secondary that has been revamped the past two offseasons. After signing cornerback Trae Waynes and safety Vonn Bell in 2020, the Bengals signed cornerbacks Mike Hilton and Chidobe Awuzie last week.

          Apple wasn't the only move the Bengals made Tuesday. The team also struck a one-year deal with Quinton Spain, the offensive lineman confirmed in a tweet on Tuesday. Spain was acquired in the middle of last season after he was cut by the Bills and started eight games for the Bengals in 2020.