The Cincinnati Bengals broke from normal procedure and attempted to sign free-agent cornerback Xavien Howard before Week 11.

Howard, though, left without a deal after a workout with the team.

Little more was said about the situation — until now.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler, Howard looked good during the workout, hence the team offering him a deal:

The Bengals bringing in veteran cornerback Xavien Howard for a workout this week indicates they know they need help on defense. The fact that they didn’t sign him, even after a workout that sources in the building told me was impressive, indicates Bengals fans shouldn’t get their hopes up about help being on the way.

It seems likely that the Bengals offered Howard somewhere in the range of the veteran minimum, which makes sense considering he’s 31 years old and it is already Week 11.

But it also speaks to just how desperate for help the Bengals are at corner right now. Dax Hill is out for the season and both Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner have struggled.

The Bengals also worked out a big-name running back before signing a lesser-known name, so perhaps another move will happen at corner soon. Either way, the guys on the roster will need to step up big against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11.