Bengals Host Former Falcons Safety Ricardo Allen For Visit

Allen is familiar with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo

All Bengals Staff | Mar 2, 2021

The Bengals are expected to be busy over the next few months with free agency and the draft looming. They got off to a head start on Tuesday when they hosted former Falcons safety Ricardo Allen for a visit.

The seven-year veteran had 29 tackles, two interceptions and five passes defensed for Atlanta last season.

The Bengals could be looking for a backup safety to replace Shawn Williams, who's expected to sign elsewhere in free agency.

ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first one to report the visit.

The Falcons drafted Allen in the fifth-round (147th overall) in the 2014 NFL Draft. The veteran played at Purdue with Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who served as the Boilermakers defensive backs coach from 2004-11.

There's a chance Allen could serve as the Bengals nickel cornerback. He's a quality tackler, which was a major point of emphasis in free agency last offseason.

This could be a sign that Anarumo wants the Bengals to be a zone heavy defense. Allen hasn't played cornerback since college.

With Mackensie Alexander potentially signing elsewhere, a veteran addition like Allen could help stabilize the secondary. He's familiar with Anarumo and could potentially replace Alexander.

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