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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Bengals kept one of their own on defense when they announced the re-signing of linebacker Rey Maualuga to a new three-year deal on Thursday. Terms of the new contract have not been disclosed. Maualuga was set to become an unrestricted free agent next week.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CRey is a physical force on the field and a great teammate in our locker room,\u201D Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said in a statement. \u201CHe\u2019s a hard-working, dedicated player who continues to get better. As we have put together playoff teams the last four years, we\u2019ve said more than once that a huge key is keeping productive players who know our system, and this is another big step in that plan.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;\u2022&amp;nbsp;NFL rumors: Latest buzz around free agency, trades, 2015 draft&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maualuga has been productive to be sure over his six-year career, but the second-round pick out of USC in the 2009 NFL draft has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons. He missed four games with a hamstring issue in 2014, though he still amassed 35 solo tackles, an interception, and five passes defensed. A very smart player, Maualuga has been a team captain and on-field shot-caller for years, and it's also possible that the Bengals are loading up from an insurance perspective with linebacker Vontaze Burfict recovering from microfracture knee surgery.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Throughout his career, Maualuga has totaled 293 tackles, five interceptions and 17 passes defensed in 84 starts.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;\u2022&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NFL free agent tracker: Keep track of all the latest moves&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;h3&gt;Grade: B&lt;/h3&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Depending on the terms of the deal, which probably won't break the bank, this is a good move for a defense in the second year of coordinator Paul Guenther's tenure. Maualuga is a heady player with enough left in the tank to make a difference, even if, at this point in his career, it's as a rotational player.&lt;/em&gt;\r\n&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/03/05/cincinnati-bengals-re-sign-rey-maualuga-2015-nfl-free-agency>