Bengals sign former Ohio State star Terrelle Pryor

CINCINNATI -- Terrelle Pryor's pro career will continue in the same state he became a college star.

Pryor was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday following a weekend tryout. The former Ohio State standout had been working out for the Bengals as a quarterback during their rookie camp.

Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was enamored with Pryor after just the first day of the rookie camp, saying Friday that he "hit a lot of balls and did a lot of good things for the first time being back around me in a number of years."

Jackson previously coached Pryor when he served as the Oakland Raiders' head coach in 2011. He was the one who selected Pryor with the first overall pick in the 2011 supplemental draft following the tumultuous ending of the quarterback's Ohio State career. He was one of several players involved in a free benefits and memorabilia-selling scandal at the college.

An athletic signal-caller who ran a 4.3 40-yard dash in college, Pryor said earlier this weekend he didn't want to play any other position, although he has the combination of size and speed to be used elsewhere.

"If I can't play quarterback, I can't play football -- I'm pretty much done," Pryor said.

Before signing with the Bengals, Pryor spent the last five months with the Chiefs. Prior to that, he was on the Seahawks' roster, cut at the end of last preseason camp.

"This is a joy for me," Pryor said Friday about participating in the rookie camp. "I went to Hue and said I can do this minicamp because I need reps. I'm not going to get them when Andy [Dalton] gets here. I have to understand, take the reps I get, focus in, laser in and do the best I can."

In addition to signing Pryor, the Bengals also signed seventh-round draft pick Mario Alford. The former West Virginia standout is hoping to make the team in training camp as a kick returner and receiver. He is slotted to make $2.34 million across the next four seasons.

Three undrafted free agents who participated in the rookie camp also were signed: safety Erick Dargan, defensive tackle Kalafitoni Pole and tight end John Peters, a product of Cincinnati's Mount St. Joseph University. In a corresponding move with Peters' signing, the Bengals released veteran tight end Kevin Brock.