NFL free agent tracker: Bengals sign Brandon Tate

The Cincinnati Bengals officially announced their re-signing of wide receiver Brandon Tate Monday morning, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Tate received a one-year deal over the weekend.

Tate, 25, finished with 13 receptions for 225 yards and one touchdown in 16 games played last season. He makes the most impact in the return game though, as he averaged 24.8 yards per kick return and 8.9 yards per punt return in 2012. We can expect him to resume this role next season, splitting some of the work with Adam Jones again.

He's more of a rotational player in the receiving game. The Bengals also have Andrew Hawkins, Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones all battling for targets in the giant shadow of A.J. Green.

This will be Tate's third season in Cincinnati. He was originally drafted by the Patriots in 2009, but his release in 2011 led to his current tenure in Cincinnati. His re-signing keeps the Bengals return game in tact.