"Laveranues Coles was introduced as the newest Bengal this morning at Paul Brown Stadium, and said the chance to play with quarterback Carson Palmer played a big role in his coming here.

After talking with friends, Cole said he decided that "playing with a quarterback of (Carson's) caliber would really benefit me as a player."

• Poll: Is Coles an adequate replacement for T.J.?

He said he talked to Palmer before signing with the Bengals.

"We had never had a really extended conversation, but the conversation went well and I was really impressed by him," Coles said.

Coles will be paired with Chad Ocho Cinco, who he said is one of the best receivers in the league, if not the best receiver.

He said he can hopes to take attention away from Ocho Cinco, which will create more big plays for the offense.

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said he was excited to have Coles on the team. He said the team gave T.J. Houshmandzadeh every opportunity to return to the Bengals before it turned its attention to Coles.

Lewis said he will look for Coles to be a mentor to younger Bengals receivers, and cited his ability to gain yards after the catch.

"As long as people are open to me teaching them things, I'm open to (mentoring)," he said. And "it's never just a one-way street."

Lewis also made a point to say the team continues to move forward and said fans need to know the "old way" of doing business for the Bengals is over. He said there are other areas the Bengals need to address and that another contract will be finished later today.

He said owner Mike Brown is committed to making sure the team improves in those areas.

Coles' signing helped Palmer recover from one of the lows of his NFL career Monday ,when Houshmandzadeh called him to say he was going to leave the Bengals and sign with Seattle.

"It's been a little up and down, but more up now that both of those guys are signed," Palmer said. "The offense is going to be different because we are going in a different direction with it."

Last year with the Jets, Coles had 70 receptions for 850 yards and seven touchdowns.

Palmer has not met Coles but has talked to him a lot over the past couple days. Palmer even called Houshmandzadeh, whom Palmer calls a "receiver connoisseur" to get his opinions on Coles.

"(Houshmandzadeh) was excited about the move. He's seen a bunch of films on (Coles), and he knows his receivers," Palmer said. "It will be exciting to meet him. We have a good number of things to work on.""