ESPN NFL

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lead a diluted NFC South by one game, bolstered their secondary and special teams Monday with the signing of unrestricted free agent cornerback Keiwan Ratliff.

Ratliff, a fourth-year veteran, has been out of work since the Cincinnati Bengals surprisingly released him Sept. 26.

To make room for Ratliff on the roster, Tampa Bay released wide receiver Chas Gessner.

Ratliff, 26, never missed a game in three-plus seasons with the Bengals. When Cincinnati abruptly waived him to sign cornerback Blue Adams, he became the highest-drafted player released by the team since Marvin Lewis became head coach in 2003.

In the weeks since his release, Ratliff auditioned for several teams and stayed in Florida to work out, hoping to catch on with a franchise for the second half of the season. Tampa Bay, attempting to augment its roster for the playoff stretch run, was apparently impressed with his workout. Details of the contract he signed were not immediately available.

A former University of Florida star, Ratliff lacks top-end speed but, until this season, spent considerable time as the Bengals' top nickel defensive back. He slipped to the No. 4 cornerback spot in training camp this summer, and played only in dime situations in the first three games of the year.

He notched one tackle and one pass defensed in those three appearances. But Bengals coaches did not feel Ratliff could help them much on special teams.

It is not known how quickly Ratliff will be able to contribute. But because he played in a cover-two scheme in college, one similar to that used by the Bucs, his assimilation into their system could be accelerated. Ratliff might also aid the Tampa Bay return game, which has suffered since a season-ending injury to Mark Jones.

The 49th player chosen overall in the 2004 draft, Ratliff played in 51 games for the Bengals, with eight starts, and had 101 tackles, three interceptions, 13 passes defensed and one forced fumble. He also returned 72 punts for an average of 7.5 yards.

Senior writer Len Pasquarelli covers the NFL for ESPN.com.