Bengals re-sign Rey Maualuga for three years

The Bengals solidified their unstable linebacker situation before the free agency period even begins. Cincinnati re-signed Rey Maualuga to a three-year contract Thursday locking up the middle linebacker through the 2017 season.

He would have become a free agent Tuesday.

Maualuga, a second-round pick in 2009, enjoyed one of his best seasons with the Bengals last year returning from injury for the second half of the year to improve a run defense that struggled in his absence. The Bengals allowed just 82 yards per game after his return in Week 11, second in the NFL over the span and 61 yards better than the prior nine games.

The defense also struggled without his running mate at linebacker, Vontaze Burfict, which is another reason for Maualuga's return. Burfict will spend this offseason recovering from microfracture surgery and while the team is optimistic he will be back next season they needed to assure another veteran presence in the room should Burfict not return immediately.

But this move was more about Maualuga's niche on the team. Cincinnati worked him into the role of primary two-down, run-stopping linebacker the past two seasons which accentuated his strengths. Maualuga racked up 42 tackles the final seven weeks of last season, including four for a loss. He's averaged nearly 100 tackles per season since entering the league.

Maualuga needs to stay healthy. He's missed seven games the past two seasons and went out early in the playoff game at Indianapolis. When on the field his knowledge and control over defensive coordinator Paul Guenther's system continued to leave an impression.

"He's a premier run-stopping linebacker in this league and I don't think he gets enough credit," Guenther said earlier this year. "His athletic ability and leadership has helped us out a lot."

In the eyes of Marvin Lewis, Maualuga's presence keeps together the core of a team riding four consecutive playoff berths.

"Rey is a physical force on the field and a great teammate in our locker room," Lewis said. "He's a hard-working, dedicated player who continues to get better. As we have put together playoff teams the last four years, we've said more than once that a huge key is keeping productive players who know our system, and this is another big step in that plan."

This marks the first signing of the free agent season for the Bengals. A negotiation period with free agents begins Saturday afternoon and continues until 4 p.m. on Tuesday when players can officially sign with new teams at the beginning of the league year.

Likely next on the Bengals list would be guard Clint Boling. The 25-year-old expects to draw attention on the open market and finding a long-term deal to keep him in house on the interior of the offensive line has been a development both sides expressed interest in leading up to this moment.