CINCINNATI — Terrell Owens headed to Cincinnati on Tuesday to see if the Bengals are interested in adding him to their stalled-out passing game.
The 36-year-old receiver tweeted on Tuesday that he was on his way to meet with team officials. Receiver Chad Ochocinco has been lobbying for the Bengals to sign Owens since the end of last season, when the Bengals' passing game lacked a deep threat.
"En route (at) Natti land!!" Owens tweeted. "i'll let u guys know how the mtg went! Cn't go 2 bad considering the pursuit of tht Lombardi shiny thing!!"
The Bengals went 10-6 and won the AFC North last season by relying on their defense and their running game. They lost to the New York Jets in their first playoff game since 2005, struggling to move the ball.
Cincinnati needs at least one proven receiver after releasing Laveranues Coles, who lasted only one season with the Bengals. Receiver Matt Jones, who was out of the NFL last season after Jacksonville released him for off-field problems, has signed a one-year deal with the Bengals.
It's unclear whether they have much interest in Owens, whose production declined each of the last two seasons with Dallas and Buffalo. Former Tampa Bay receiver Antonio Bryant was in Cincinnati on Tuesday.
Owens, a six-time Pro Bowl receiver, had 69 catches for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns with Dallas in 2008, and dropped off to 55 catches for 829 yards with five touchdowns last season in Buffalo.
Owens and Ochocinco are represented by agent Drew Rosenhaus, who didn't return a phone message Tuesday. Rosenhaus told Sirius NFL Radio on Friday night that he had talked to the Bengals about Owens, but wasn't sure where the team was headed.
Bryant had career highs with 83 catches for 1,248 yards and seven touchdowns in 2008 with Tampa Bay. He needed surgery for torn cartilage in his left knee during training camp last year, and was bothered by pain in the knee all season. He finished with 39 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns.
Cincinnati's passing offense finished 26th in the league last season even though Carson Palmer was back from an elbow injury. The Bengals didn't have a reliable third-down receiver — T.J. Houshmandzadeh left as a free agent for Seattle before last season — and Coles failed to blend into the offense.
The Bengals also lacked a deep threat after Chris Henry got hurt. Henry later died in a fall from a truck during a domestic dispute.
Getting a receiver and a tight end are among the team's top priorities in free agency and the draft.
EAGLES EXERCISE OPTION ON VICK: Michael Vick says the Philadelphia Eagles exercised their 2010 option on him, meaning the quarterback will receive a $1.5 million roster bonus sometime this week.
That doesn't necessarily guarantee he'll return to the Eagles for another season.
Vick was signed as a free agent with Philadelphia before the 2009 season and played sparingly as the backup to Donovan McNabb.
He is due $5.25 million in salary next season. With McNabb and backup Kevin Kolb still in the fold for the Eagles, there has been speculation that the Eagles might try to trade Vick.
BROWNS RELEASE QB ANDERSON: Quarterback Derek Anderson's uneven five-year stint with the Cleveland Browns is over.
The team released the one-time Pro Bowl quarterback Tuesday, one day after the Browns acquired backup Seneca Wallace in a trade from Seattle.
Anderson made the Pro Bowl in 2007 when he threw 29 touchdown passes and led the club to a 10-6 record. However, his promising career has been in a tailspin ever since. He lost his starting job to Brady Quinn at the start of last season, got it back, lost it again, returned to the starting lineup when Quinn got hurt, and won Cleveland's last two games.
The 26-year-old Anderson spent five seasons with Cleveland, which claimed him off waivers from Baltimore in 2005. Anderson was due a $2 million roster bonus March 19 and his salary was set for $7.45 million in 2010, financial burdens that factored heavily into the Browns' decision to dump him.
PATS RETAIN BODDEN: The New England Patriots have kept another free agent from leaving, re-signing cornerback Leigh Bodden to a four-year deal.
Bodden's deal, which was announced by his agent on Twitter, comes on the same day the Patriots confirmed that they re-signed defensive lineman Vince Wilfork. Wilfork and his agent announced the deal on Saturday.
"We don't think there's a better player on the marketplace for this team" than Wilfork, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said on WEEI-AM. "We've been able to sign a number of our guys this year that we felt were No. 1 or 2 in the marketplace."
The team also announced on Tuesday that offensive lineman Stephen Neal would return. Last week, the team re-upped pass rusher Tully Banta-Cain, part of the team's offseason philosophy to bring back its own players rather than make splashy and expensive new acquisitions.
CHIEFS INK JONES: The Kansas City Chiefs have signed free agent running back Thomas Jones, who led the New York Jets to the AFC championship game last season and was the NFL's third-leading rusher.
The Chiefs announced the deal Tuesday but declined to disclose the terms.
Jones had career highs of 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. He was a 2008 Pro Bowl selection with 1,312 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The 31-year-old is expected to supplement third-year running back Jamaal Charles, who was Kansas City's MVP last season with 1,120 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
Jones was drafted seventh overall in 2000 by the Arizona Cardinals. He was traded to Tampa Bay in 2003, went to Chicago in 2004 as a free agent and was traded to the Jets in 2007.
DOLPHINS RE-SIGN FERGUSON: Nose tackle Jason Ferguson has been re-signed by the Miami Dolphins, even though he faces a suspension for the first eight games of this season.
The Dolphins announced the signing Tuesday in a news release that made no reference to Ferguson's suspension last week for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
At 35, Ferguson improves the Dolphins' roster depth, but they remain in the market for a starter at the position.
Ferguson, acquired by Miami in a trade with Dallas in 2008, has 128 career starts. He was sidelined by a season-ending quadriceps injury in November that required surgery and has contemplated retirement.