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CINCINNATI -- On the same day one of his former high school and college teammates was expected to sign a contract extension with the Cincinnati Bengals, veteran linebacker A.J. Hawk was in the Queen City visiting coaches and other front-office personnel.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Hawk's visit early Monday.

If Hawk ultimately signs with the Bengals, he'll have a reunion with kicker Mike Nugent. Reports late Sunday indicated Nugent will sign a two-year extension. Natives of suburban Dayton, Ohio, Hawk and Nugent played together some 50 miles north of Cincinnati at Centerville High School before also starring at Ohio State.

Hawk has only called one place home since college. Drafted fifth overall in 2006, the inside linebacker spent the last nine seasons with the Green Bay Packers before he was cut two weeks ago. Since he was released, he could sign Monday if he and the Bengals reached an agreement that quickly.

One of the Bengals' focuses from a personnel standpoint this offseason has involved strengthening their depth chart at linebacker. Injuries ravaged the unit in 2014, forcing the Bengals to thrust a pair of inexperienced linebackers into some of the season's more pivotal games. At Indianapolis in the middle of the season, reserve Vincent Rey led a linebacker group that included rookie Marquis Flowers and former undrafted free agent Jayson DiManche, who was getting some of the first defensive snaps of his career.

It's likely the Bengals will draft a linebacker, in addition to trying to sign one in free agency, like Hawk. They already kept Rey Maualuga from hitting free agency, signing the six-year vet to a new deal last week just days before his previous contract expired.

Although injuries have caused Hawk's career to take a bit of a decline the past season or two, he still fits the Bengals' free-agent profile, and could give them solid depth at a position that lacked it.