The second time around with Jeff Burris proved beneficial to the Cincinnati Bengals, as the team on Tuesday night reached an agreement with the unrestricted free agent cornerback, an eight-year veteran who will add stability to the secondary.

	Burris

Released last month by the Indianapolis Colts for salary cap reasons, Burris will sign a three-year contract with the Bengals worth $4.5 million, including a $1 million signing bonus. Ironically, the Bengals ardently pursued Burris when he was a free agent in 1998, but he signed with the Colts instead.

This time around Burris, 29, made it clear Cincinnati was his first choice. He was also sought by the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins, but he acknowledged last week during his visit with Bengals officials that he wanted to join the team he snubbed just four years ago.

He might not have been a starter in Seattle, and Washington wanted Burris to play safety. Burris is the first free agent from another team to sign with the Bengals this spring.

"There's a comfort level here," said Burris, who made the easy drive to Cincinnati from his home in Indianapolis. "I like everything about the situation. It's a team that is getting ready to do some good things and I want to be a part of it."

Burris is already penciled into the Bengals' starting lineup, alongside veteran Artrell Hawkins, an unrestricted free agent who re-signed with Cincinnati last week. The pair provides Cincinnati with its most experienced pair of starting cornerbacks since 1997.

For the past two years, the Bengals have been attempting to land a veteran cornerback during the free agent signing period, and each time came up short. The acquisition of Burris certainly is an upgrade for a defense that statistically ranked 10th in the league in 2001 but needed help in the starting secondary.

The Bengals still might draft a cornerback, like Phillip Buchanan of Miami, with their first-round pick in next month's draft. But getting Burris reduces the urgency of having to draft a cornerback and will allow Cincinnati to consider other options.

A former Notre Dame star, Burris entered the NFL as a first-round choice of the Buffalo Bills in 1994. He played four seasons in Buffalo before signing with the Colts as a free agent in 1998.

For his career, Burris has played in 115 games and logged 99 starts. He has 430 tackles, 16 interceptions, 84 passes defensed and 4½ sacks.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.