On the same day that a former third-round pick of the Bengals was cleared of the criminal charges that ended his tenure with the team, the Bengals have signed yet another draft pick who sports a checkered past.

Bengals.com reports that defensive tackle Jason Shirley, a fifth-round selection in April, has agreed to terms.

His agent tells Bengals.com that it’s a four-year deal.  Ironically, the news is being broken by the team’s official web site absent a release from the team that the deal is done.  As a practical matter, the report from the team’s web site is the equivalent of a statement from the team that a deal is in place.  (But it would be hilarious if any team-owned web site had a story about said team, and got it wrong.)

Shirley was off most teams’ draft boards due to a trifecta of charges that were pending against him in April.  A trial resulted in a hung jury, and Shirley is due to be tried again next month.

Coach Marvin Lewis acknowledged after the draft that the Bengals were taking “a little bit of a risk” by selecting Shirley.  (But, hey, they’re used to it.)

“He’s excited about moving past this and playing football,” agent Bardia Ghahremani told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.  “He’s just so happy to get the chance that the Bengals have given him.  The important thing is for him to get in there and prove that he can play.”

Actually, an equally important thing is to stay out of trouble.  As Chris Henry learned, the grace period is only four arrests.