And now, on his fourth NFL contract, Nugent will get an opportunity to play for his favorite childhood team. The Bengals signed Nugent, the former Centerville and Ohio State standout kicker, on Friday, April 23, to compete for the kicking job that opened when Shayne Graham became an unrestricted free agent.
Nugent and fifth-year Michigan State product Dave Rayner are the two kickers currently on the Bengals roster.
“As far as what they told me,” Nugent said, “it’s just an opportunity to compete for a job.”
Nugent was drafted in the second round by the New York Jets in 2005 and spent 2005-08 with the team. Last season, he kicked for both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals before the Cardinals released him following Week 16.
Nugent said he worked out for the Bengals in January and stayed in contact with the team since.
“It was kind of a ‘We’ll let you know,’ ” said Nugent, 28, who lives in the Columbus area. “Then my agent called (Thursday) night and said, ‘It looks like the Cincinnati Bengals.’ ”
Nugent drove to Cincinnati on Friday morning to undergo a physical and sign the contract that, to many, signals that the Bengals won’t return Graham to the roster. Nugent, a 2001 Centerville graduate, left Ohio State with 22 school records and the 2004 Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top college kicker. He has made 79-of-100 field goals as a professional.
“My job was just to stay in great kicking shape in case I got a tryout,” Nugent said. “I was working as hard as I could hoping to get a chance.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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