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Bengals don't often play tag with free agents

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Feb. 15, 2016 but has been updated with current information.

The 2017 league year begins March 9, but the first steps toward firming up rosters begin Wednesday as teams can apply franchise or transition tags on any of their own unrestricted free agents.

The Cincinnati Bengals have 12 such free agents, headlined by left tackle Andrew Whitworth, right guard Kevin Zeitler and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick.

The Bengals are not averse to using the franchise tag, the most recent being applied to defensive end Michael Johnson in 2013.