Eli Apple is returning to the Buckeye State.
The former Ohio State cornerback and top-10 NFL draft pick has signed a one-year free-agent deal with the Cincinnati Bengals, the team announced Tuesday.
Back in OHIO! pic.twitter.com/9I9CCu8eMe
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) March 23, 2021
Cincinnati becomes Apple's fourth NFL team after he was selected by the New York Giants with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, where he played until the 2018 season.
Apple was traded to the New Orleans Saints midway through the 2018 season and earned a spot in the Saints' starting defense, starting 25 games through one full season and one partial season with New Orleans before the team declined his fifth-year option in 2020.
Ahead of the 2020 season, Apple signed with the Carolina Panthers but was active for just two games due to injuries and was released in October. He went unsigned for the remainder of last season.
In his five-year NFL career, Apple has appeared in 57 career games – starting 48 of them –and has 219 tackles, 33 pass defenses, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.
Apple becomes the sixth Buckeye on Cincinnati's roster, joining Sam Hubbard, Billy Price, Michael Jordan, Vonn Bell, and Isaiah Prince.
Cincinnati Buckeyes? Welcome @EliApple
— Billy Price (@b_price53) March 23, 2021
