Reggie Nelson: Cincinnati Bengals don’t want him back (Report)

Reggie Nelson appears to no longer be in the Cincinnati Bengals’ plans, meaning the safety will hit the open market.

The Minnesota Vikings failed to land free agent safety George Iloka, but it looks like they will have a great chance at signing his former teammate Reggie Nelson.

I say “former teammate” with a lot of confidence because reportedly the Bengals have no interest in re-signing Nelson.

Yahoo!’s Charles Robinson gave the inside dope on Nelson and the Bengals.

The 32-year-old Nelson made his first career Pro Bowl in 2015 after picking off a career-high eight passes. Nelson also had 77 tackles last year.

Why don’t the Bengals want Nelson back? Because they just spent a fair amount of money on Iloka, plus they have a young safety in Shawn Williams who they believe is ready to step into a starting role.

Reggie Nelson may not be as young and promising as George Iloka but he is still a very good player and could be exactly what the Vikings are looking for at safety. Obviously the Mike Zimmer connection helps a great deal.

Next: Vikings sign Travis Lewis

According to Robinson, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may also be interested in Nelson. If the Bucs are willing to overpay for Nelson, then I imagine Rick Spielman will bow out and let him go to Tampa Bay.

If the price is right, I see no reason why the Vikings would not be willing to sign Nelson.