Official release from the Bengals...

The Bengals signed TE Ben Utecht to an offer sheet for a three-year contract on Friday. Utecht (pronounced “OO-tek”) is a fourth-year NFL player in 2008, a restricted free agent from the Indianapolis Colts, and the Colts will have the option of retaining him if they match the Cincinnati offer within seven days.

Should the Colts decline to match, Utecht will join Cincinnati. A signing by the Bengals will not require the Bengals to compensate Indianapolis with a future draft choice, because Utecht entered the NFL as a college free agent and was not tendered by the Colts beyond draft-status level.

Utecht (6-6, 251; Minnesota) has played in 41 games with 30 starts for Indianapolis over the past three seasons (2005-07). He also has played six postseason games with five starts, including a start in Indianapolis’ victory in Super Bowl XLI following the 2006 season. He has 71 catches for 800 yards (11.3 avg.) in regular season play, with three TDs. He has six catches for 61 yards in postseason play.

Utecht played in 14 games with 13 starts during the 2007 regular season, with 31 catches for 364 yards and one TD. He joined the Colts in 2004, but was on the Physically Unable to Perform list and did not earn an accrued year toward NFL free agency.