Longtime Cincinnati Bengals kicker Shayne Graham is close to a deal with the Ravens, the Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday, citing a league source.
The Ravens have been seeking a long-term solution at kicker after not re-signing veteran Matt Stover before the 2009 season. Steven Hauschka was given the job, but he struggled, making 9 of 13 field-goal attempts in nine games, so Billy Cundiff was brought in to replace him. Cundiff didn't perform much better, connecting on just 12 of 17 field-goal tries in seven games.
Graham, 32, met with Ravens officials at the NFL Annual Meeting in late March, the Sun reported, and the deal has been expected for months.
Graham ranks fifth in NFL history with an 85.217 career field-goal percentage, but his two misses in an AFC wild-card playoff against the New York Jets last January ended his stay in Cincinnati. The Bengals elected not to re-sign Graham -- only one year after slapping a $2.483 million franchise tag on him -- and signed Mike Nugent and Dave Rayner to compete for their kicking job.
