Bengals lost UDFA LB target to Broncos, Sean Payton

Sep 1, 2022; Fresno, California, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs linebacker Level Bailey (6) celebrates after the Bulldogs made a stop on third down against the Cal Poly Mustangs in the third quarter at Valley Children’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Bengals expressed interest in Fresno State linebacker Levelle Bailey in undrafted free agency.

Bailey, though, wound up signing with the Denver Broncos, securing a $15,000 signing bonus with $125,000 of his contract guaranteed.

According to the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson, the Bengals were one of the teams after Bailey, but two calls from Broncos head coach Sean Payton swung the outcome:

Bailey said he also was contacted by Carolina, Cincinnati and Minnesota about signing as a free agent. But did he get the same treatment from those teams that he did by Payton calling?

“No,’’ he said. “I didn’t talk to their head coaches.”

And that’s just how it goes in undrafted free agency. The Bengals didn’t draft a linebacker with one of their 10 picks in the draft itself, but did add two others in undrafted free agency.

In fact, both of the linebacker prospects they agreed with in undrafted free agency even got a big signing bonus from the Bengals, too.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals lost UDFA LB target to Broncos, Sean Payton