Flurry of Cap Casualties Could Give the Cincinnati Bengals a Jump on Free Agency

CINCINNATI – Free agency begins next week, but there is no reason for the Cincinnati Bengals — or any other team — to need to wait to start adding to their roster.

Cap cut season is in full swing with many teams that need to shed salaries releasing veteran players with time remaining on their contracts.

The Buffalo Bills are hemorrhaging talent, releasing quality veteran players such as safety Jordan Poyer, cornerback Tre’Davious White, center Mitch Morse, wide receiver/kick returner Deonte Harty, and running back Nyheim Hines in a massive purge this afternoon.

Plausible Cap Cut Targets for the Cincinnati Bengals

Players with expiring contracts can’t sign new deals until next Wednesday, but when a player who is under contract for 2024 is released and has at least four years of service, he is free to sign with any other team as soon as he wants.

The Bengals are expected to put running back Joe Mixon in that category in a move that would free up another $6 million under the salary cap. That would give them the seventh most cap space in the league at $54 million.

Signing new players is only half of the equation in free agency. Deciding who to let walk is just as important, and the #Bengals have been on a heater making the right calls the last six years.https://t.co/xiIQUVhgXD

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) March 6, 2024

And there’s no reason to wait until next week to start trying to address some of their many needs.

In addition to getting a jump on other teams who are still trying to clear space, the other advantage to signing available vested veterans — street free agents — is that they do not count against the formula for compensatory picks.

Here are five veterans at positions of need the Bengals could add right now for a reasonable cost.

Jonnu Smith | Tight End

The Atlanta Falcons released Smith last week with one season left on the four-year, $50 million deal he signed with the New England Patriots in 2021.

Smith already is having contract talks with the Miami Dolphins, but the Bengals don’t have any tight ends signed for 2024, and Smith won’t come close to commanding the $12.5 AAV of his previous deal.

He set career highs in receptions (50) and receiving yards (582) while catching three touchdowns last year for an offensively challenged Atlanta team.

Hayden Hurst | Tight End

Hurst left the Bengals after the 2022 season for a three-year, $21.8 million deal in Carolina, with $13 million of it guaranteed. The Panthers released Hurst on Tuesday.

His health is a major corner after he suffered post-traumatic amnesia following a concussion last year. But if he wants to continue playing and passes a physical, bringing him back to Cincinnati for a reunion with Joe Burrow would make a lot of sense.

Hurst had the second-best year of his career playing for the Bengals in 2022 — 52 catches, 414 yards, two touchdowns — and unlike the other 2023 Cincinnati tight ends, who specialized as either blockers or receivers, Hurst can do both well.

Alexander Mattison | Running Back

He had a career-high 700 rushing yards last year while also catching 30 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns in Minnesota.

Mattison may not be quite as explosive as the Bengals would like, but he still had 16 runs of 12+ yards last year (only four fewer than Mixon on 77 fewer carries) and would come at a considerable savings from the $8.5 million Mixon is due.

The Bengals could sign Mattison and a true free agent and combine them with Chase Brown, and their combined salaries would be half of Mixon’s.

Kevin Byard | Safety

The fact that he’ll turn 31 in August will give the Bengals pause. But given the communication issues last year and the team’s desire to add a veteran safety, Byard could be the smart, savvy leader Cincinnati is looking for on the back end.

Another downside is his agent is David Mulugheta, whom the Bengals battled with on the Jessie Bates III extension and are doing so again in talks with Tee Higgins.

But Byard has 121 career starts and two All-Pro selections.

Deonte Harty | Wide Receiver

This would be more about what he could bring as a returner if Charlie Jones seizes the starting job in the slot and the Bengals want to reduce his workload.

Harty ranked fifth in the league in punt returns last year with a 12.4-yard average, including a 96-yard touchdown. And from 2019-22 in New Orleans, Harty averaged 25.4 yards per kickoff return, fourth best in the league.

KEEP READING: The Bengals Haven’t Just Hit Homers in Free Agency, They’re Nearly Batting a Thousand in Letting Guys Walk

He only played 15% of the offensive snaps in Buffalo last season, but he’s proven he can be a weapon when given the chance. In 2021 when he played 36% of the snaps for the Saints, Harty had 36 catches for 560 yards and three touchdowns. His 15.8 yards per catch ranked fifth in the league among players with at least 40 targets.

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