Former UW Nickel Bookie Radley-Hiles Joins Bengals as Free-Agent Signee
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Bookie Radley-Hiles arrived at the University of Washington a year ago to improve his NFL chances, to learn from coaches considered the best in getting defensive backs ready to play.
Not everything went as planned for the Oklahoma transfer —namely DB guru Jimmy Lake got fired, the Huskies stumbled through a 4-8 season and he wasn't drafted — but Radley-Hiles will get his chance at the next level.
On Saturday, the professorial-looking football player with the long flowing beard and overly polite manner signed a free-agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals fresh off a Super Bowl appearance.
"All I ever needed was a chance," Radley-Hiles tweeted enthusiastically. "Bengals Nation let's get it."
His compact size of 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds more than anything probably prevented him from getting picked over the NFL draft's seven rounds, yet he's a smart, tough player worthy of getting a look.
For Washington, he played nickel corner and safety in 11 of the 12 games and started nine. He finished with 46 tackles, a pair of sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery and 4 pass break-ups.
Radley-Hiles might have considered sticking around Seattle and using his final year of college eligibility, yet he'd already graduated with a college degree while at Oklahoma and was eager to play in the NFL.
Radley-Hiles will try to earn a roster spot on a Bengals team that has another Husky in tight end Drew Sample, who's been with the Cincinnati franchise for three seasons.
Among others looking for work, former UW punter Race Porter and edge rusher Ryan Bowman have mini-camp invitations from the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively.
The Huskies had four players taken in the recently concluded NFL draft in cornerback Trent McDuffie, who went to the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round; corner Kyler Gordon, drafted in the second round by the Chicago Bears; tight end Cade Otton, who went to Tampa Bay with the first pick of the fourth round; and center Luke Wattenberg, who will join the Denver Broncos as a fifth-round selection.
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