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Rey Maualuga | Linebacker

Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Age / DOB:  (26) / 1/20/1987
Ht / Wt:  6'2' / 260
College: USC
Contract: view contract details
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Recent News

Coach Marvin Lewis said he plans to leave Rey Maualuga at middle linebacker this season.
Following an ineffective season that saw him grade out as one of the league's worst starting middle linebackers, it was widely assumed that Maualuga would kick outside and allow WLB Vontaze Burfict to man the middle. Lewis is surprisingly squashing that notion. The news does leave Maualuga on the IDP radar as he compiled 122 tackles a year ago. Mar 19 - 10:35 AM
Source: Joe Reedy on Twitter

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Player News

Date:
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

Bengals re-signed LB Rey Maualuga to a two-year contract.

DC Mike Zimmer gets his wish. Coming off a rocky 2012, Maualuga's market never heated up. His only visits were to the Giants and Arizona. One of the league's worst interior linebackers last season, Maualuga will move to the strong side after WLB Vontaze Burfict made a convincing case to become the Bengals' franchise middle linebacker. Meanwhile, Bengals owner Mike Brown continues to sit on the largest salary cap stash in football, but has only re-signed cheap in-house free agents Maualuga, Rob Geathers, and Wallace Gilberry. We can't forget about Mike Nugent the kicker and Clark Harris the long snapper. Brown's hilariously obsessive cheapskating should surprise no one, though. He does it every year.
Mar 18 - 11:08 AM
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

Bengals.com reports "indications are" that the team is "closing in" on deals for free agents LB Rey Maualuga and CB Adam "Pacman" Jones.

Maualuga made free-agent visits last week to the Cardinals and Giants, but both teams went in different directions. Maualuga would be a good keep as a two-down strong-side linebacker, but he can't play the middle anymore. Jones hasn't drawn any interest, so he could likely be kept on a cheap one-year deal.
Related: Pacman Jones
Source: bengals.com
Mar 17 - 12:45 PM
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

The Giants have expressed interest in free agent MLB Rey Maualuga.

The Giants haven't shown much urgency to fill their vacancy in the middle. Free agent Chase Blackburn is moving on and they've only hosted Jasper Brinkley. Maualuga graded out as the worst inside linebacker in the NFL last season. The Giants should be aiming higher, but they're up against the cap.
Related: Giants
Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter
Mar 14 - 7:39 AM
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

Free agent LB Rey Maualuga left Arizona without a contract.

The Cardinals are now hosting Jasper Brinkley. Maualuga has yet to line up any other visits. He could be a fit for the Ravens, and may possibly wind up back in Cincinnati.
Related: Cardinals
Source: Mike Garafolo on Twitter
Mar 13 - 7:51 PM
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

Free agent LB Rey Maualuga will visit the Cardinals.

The Cardinals are in need of an inside linebacker to pair with Daryl Washington. Stewart Bradley was released and Paris Lenon is a free agent. We'd expect the Ravens to give Maualuga a ring, too, after losing Dannell Ellerbe to the Dolphins.
Related: Cardinals
Source: Rey Maualuga on Twitter
Mar 12 - 6:59 PM
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

Bengals DC Mike Zimmer believes free agent LB Rey Maualuga is "a lot better than what (people) give him credit for."

"If he’s not here people are going to miss him and say we should have had him," Zimmer said. "That’s how it works, like Justin Smith." Zimmer is alluding to a perceived lack of media coverage in Cincinnati, but neither stats nor film bear out his point about Maualuga. Bengals.com reports Maualuga could be brought back to play strong-side linebacker, with Vontaze Burfict shifting to the middle.
Source: bengals.com
Feb 24 - 4:19 PM
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

Bengals.com says the team is still engaged with free agent LB Rey Maualuga, and they could re-sign him to play strong-side linebacker.

A report surfaced last week that Maualuga was unlikely to be re-signed, and it came up again on Thursday as the Combine kicked off. Maualuga was downright awful in coverage last season, so a move to the strong side would keep him in on running downs, but have him replaced by a defensive back on third downs. Vontaze Burfict is expected to take over in the middle.
Source: bengals.com
Feb 21 - 10:05 PM
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

The Sideline View's Adam Caplan confirms that the Bengals are unlikely to re-sign free agent MLB Rey Maualuga.

Undisciplined and ineffective, Maualuga was one of the NFL's poorest middle linebacker starters last season. The Bengals plan to move forward with Vontaze Burfict manning the middle. Maualuga, 26, was suggested Monday as a potential replacement for Ray Lewis in Baltimore, by SI's Peter King. If Maualuga is cheap and vows to play within the scheme, it might be a sensible marriage.
Source: Adam Caplan on Twitter
Feb 11 - 5:16 PM
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

SI's Peter King believes the Ravens could pursue free agent MLB Rey Maualuga "after the initial rush" of free agency.

Specifically, King believes the Ravens may make a run in "middle-class free agency." Per King, the Ravens and GM Ozzie Newsome were very high on Maualuga coming out of USC. However, King believes the Ravens "have" to re-sign free agent Dannell Ellerbe, and that they wouldn't view Maualuga as the sole replacement for retiring MLB Ray Lewis, but rather part of a potential committee. Maualuga is coming off a very poor season in Cincinnati.
Related: Ravens
Source: Sports Illustrated
Feb 11 - 8:42 AM
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer "doubts" that free agent MLB Rey Maualuga will be back with the Bengals in 2013.

Reedy concedes the team's stance could change, but the Bengals are likely to replace Maualuga with Vontaze Burfict. Maualuga, 26, has less game than his big name suggests. He was among the NFL's worst middle linebackers in 2012.
Source: Joe Reedy on Twitter
Jan 19 - 12:49 AM
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

Impending free agent MLB Rey Maualuga expressed doubt that the Bengals would want him back after a roller-coaster 2012 season.

"I felt as if the playoff game was sort of like, if I perform well they would want me," said Maualuga. "I don't know if they want me, but I do know I didn't perform well." Of the 35 inside linebackers who played 50 percent or more of their team's snaps, Maualuga graded the worst, according to Pro Football Focus. He has issues with coverage, penalties, and missed tackles.
Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
Jan 14 - 10:33 AM
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

Impending free agent MLB Rey Maualuga's Bengals future is up in the air this offseason.

Maualuga was one of the few weak spots on an excellent defense, too often getting burned for big plays throughout the season as well as in the playoff loss to the Texans. The Bengals would be better off moving Vontaze Burfict to the middle and giving surprising rookie Emmanuel Lamur a shot on the outside. SLB Manny Lawson is also a free agent.
Related: Vontaze Burfict, Emmanuel Lamur
Source: bengals.com
Jan 7 - 10:42 AM
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

Bengals MLB Rey Maualuga credits losing 20 pounds for his recent run of good play.

Prior to Week 3, the 6-foot-2 Maualuga weighed 265 pounds. He was having trouble shedding blocks and making tackles in space. Now that's he's playing lighter, he's excelled in the nickel and even looked solid in pass coverage. Maualuga leads the Bengals with 77 tackles on the season.
Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
Thu, Nov 15, 2012 09:55:00 AM
Rey Maualuga - LB - Bengals

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis insisted Monday that the team is not considering benching MLB Rey Maualuga.

Maualuga has been abominable this season, particularly against the run. He overruns too many plays and struggles mightily to get off blocks at the second level. Cincy's run defense has been incredibly disappointing after finishing last season as a top-ten unit. Maualuga does deceptively have 58 tackles through seven games, and is tied for ninth in the league in that worthless statistic.
Source: Geoff Hobson on twitter
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 02:20:00 PM

Depth Charts

Skill Players
PosRoleName
QB1Andy Dalton
2John Skelton
3Josh Johnson
4Zac Robinson
RB1BenJarvus Green-Ellis
2Giovani Bernard
3Rex Burkhead
4Cedric Peerman
5Bernard Scott
GLB1BenJarvus Green-Ellis
2Giovani Bernard
3RB1Giovani Bernard
2Rex Burkhead
FB1Chris Pressley
2John Conner
WR11A.J. Green
2Andrew Hawkins
3Ryan Whalen
4Dane Sanzenbacher
5Tyrone Goard
WR21Mohamed Sanu
2Marvin Jones
3Brandon Tate
4Cobi Hamilton
5Taveon Rogers
WR31Andrew Hawkins
TE1Jermaine Gresham
2Tyler Eifert
3Orson Charles
4Alex Smith
5Richard Quinn
K1Mike Nugent