Bengals Release CB Trae Waynes

MARCH 21: The Bengals waited a while, but they have made the Waynes move. This cut will add more than $10MM to Cincinnati’s cap space. Waynes did not play any defensive snaps during the team’s four playoff games, wrapping a disappointing run for the ex-Vikings first-rounder in Cincinnati.

This transaction stands to bump the AFC champions’ cap space north of $23MM. The Bengals brought back Eli Apple, keeping their top three corners from 2021 — Apple, Awuzie and Hilton — together. Unfortunately, Waynes could not avoid more injury trouble, which ended up defining his Bengals tenure.

FEB. 27: This is hardly a surprise, but the Bengals are expected to cut cornerback Trae Waynes, per Jay Morrison of The Athletic (subscription required). Waynes signed a three-year, $42MM contract with Cincinnati in March 2020, and in Morrison’s estimation, he is the biggest free agency bust in club history.

It would be difficult to quibble with that assessment. Waynes missed the entire 2020 season with a pectoral injury, and he ultimately played in just five regular season games in 2021 due to a hamstring ailment. Although he appeared in all four of the Bengals’ postseason contests, he saw just 13 total snaps, and all of them came on special teams.

The reigning AFC champs are in a pretty good place in terms of the salary cap. As Morrison writes in a separate piece (subscription required), Cincinnati should have upwards of $70MM in cap space this offseason, including the $10.9MM the club will realize from the Waynes release. Of course, a good chunk of that money is likely to be invested in an offensive line that yielded a whopping 70 sacks throughout the regular season and playoffs.

But some of it will need to be reinvested into the secondary as well. In addition to a franchise tag or extension for safety Jessie Bates, the Bengals will need to sign a No. 2 corner. Indeed, other than Waynes, Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton, no cornerback who played a snap in 2021 is under contract for 2022.

For his part, Waynes will likely need to settle for a veteran minimum deal somewhere. His contract with the Bengals was inflated due to the premium that teams often have to pay for cornerbacks in free agency, as his 3+ years as a starter with the Vikings were solid enough, but never spectacular. Couple that with his recent injury history, and it stands to reason that he will be looking for a prove-it contract in 2022.

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