Bengals’ top pick ends holdout, begins camp with second team

Linebacker Keith Rivers missed 10 days of practice.

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) — Linebacker Keith Rivers made his first mistake at the start of his first practice with the Cincinnati Bengals, and his teammates let him know it.

The Bengals’ No. 1 pick ended his 10-day holdout by signing a five-year contract Tuesday night, then joined the team Wednesday at training camp. He did the wrong exercise — jumping jacks — at the end of calisthenics, drawing a round of boos from teammates.

“It shows I haven’t been here for a while,” Rivers said. “I forgot how that rolls. Hopefully, next time I’ll get that right.”

Rivers has some other catching up to do. He missed 12 practices, including the club’s intra-squad scrimmage, besides meetings and film sessions.

“He looked like he did last time I saw him,” said coach Marvin Lewis, who last saw Rivers during a mandatory minicamp in June. “We’ll see how we go through the week and see whether we play him, or how much. Unless I can find something major, I expect him to play some.”

The Bengals open their preseason schedule on Monday at Green Bay against the Packers.

Rivers, taken from Southern Cal as the ninth overall pick, ran drills with the second unit defense, playing behind third-year player Brandon Johnson.

He remained in Cincinnati throughout the holdout, using his free time to study the playbook, work out and keep in touch with teammates via text messaging. Rivers said he contacted teammates such as fellow linebackers Dhani Jones and Dan Howell to stay informed on different defense that were installed each day.

“He was good today and I think that stems from what he did this spring,” linebackers coach Jeff FitzGerald said. “He took good notes; and he took his notes home with him to study to try and stay on top of things ... You’re looking at a guy that is a real pro coming into the door and knows what it takes.”

Terms of Rivers’ contract haven’t been disclosed.