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Trae Waynes

Trae Waynes Generating Interest; CB Leaning Toward Retirement

By | at June 20, 2022 2:17 pm

Ahead of what would be his age-30 season, Trae Waynes is not exactly making hard plans to find another NFL gig. The seven-year veteran cornerback said he is retired, though no announcement has emerged.

The Bengals released the former first-round pick earlier this year, moving off a contract that did not work out. Cincinnati signed the ex-Minnesota starter to a three-year, $42MM deal in 2020, but Waynes missed all of that season. Last year, Waynes played in just five regular-season games due to injury. Although he played in each of the Bengals’ four playoff games, the team had replaced him in the starting lineup.

“It’s open, but I’m not really exploring anything, to be honest with you,” Waynes said, during an appearance on the Geary & Stein Sports Show podcast (via NFL.com), of playing an eighth NFL season. “Multiple teams have actually called. Honestly, in my head, I’m done. I’m not officially doing it just because I don’t give a [expletive]. But I’m retired, but it’s not like I announced it or anything.”

One of those opportunities came from the Eagles, who employ former Vikings DBs coach Jonathan Gannon as defensive coordinator and have ex-Viking safety Anthony Harris back as a projected starter. It does not look like anything will come to fruition here. The Eagles have since signed James Bradberry.

“I actually almost went to Philly to go back with JG and Ant. But at that point I was like, ‘I’m ready to be done,'” Waynes said. “Could I easily keep playing several more years? Yes. But I got a family, I want to be around with my kids more.”

Minnesota’s Mike Zimmer-era run of first-round cornerbacks began with Waynes, the No. 11 overall pick in 2015. He had not shown signs of durability issues with the Vikings, missing just six games in five seasons on his rookie contract. The Michigan State product started 53 games during his five-year Minneapolis stay. The Vikings let both Waynes and Mackensie Alexander join the Bengals in 2020, but Waynes wound up on injured reserve before the season began. A torn pectoral muscle felled him that summer.

Waynes’ 2021 re-emergence encountered resistance early. A hamstring injury forced Waynes to begin the season on IR, and he aggravated the issue after two October games. Waynes, 29, did not return until mid-December. The Bengals were deploying a Chidobe Awuzie–Eli Apple–Mike Hilton cornerback trio by the postseason, and Waynes did not play any defensive snaps in those four games. In Super Bowl LVI, Waynes played three special teams snaps.

“It didn’t feel like a Super Bowl to me because my time in Cincinnati has just been injuries,” Waynes said. … “That’s something that I never really experienced in Minnesota.”

“… I was supposed to play in the Super Bowl — well I played a little bit — but I was supposed to go in, but I ended up getting hurt again. … I told my wife this after the game, I was like ‘There’s nothing more frustrating knowing you’re supposed to be out there but you physically can’t because your body is just failing.'”

7 comments Cincinnati Bengals Philadelphia Eagles

Bengals Release CB Trae Waynes

By | at March 21, 2022 2:56 pm

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.

24 comments Cincinnati Bengals Transactions

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/4/22-1/5/22

By | at January 5, 2022 11:32 pm

Here are Tuesday and Wednesday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Jared Cook, LB Damon Lloyd (remains on IR)

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

3 comments Akeem Davis-Gaither Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens COVID-19 Carolina Panthers Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers Minnesota Vikings New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tennessee Titans Transactions Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/18/21

By | at December 18, 2021 1:29 pm

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Comments Closed Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Carolina Panthers Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions Dorian Etheridge Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Los Angeles Rams Miami Dolphins New England Patriots New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers Tennessee Titans Transactions

Bengals Activate CB Trae Waynes From IR

By | at December 18, 2021 12:48 pm

Trae Waynes is back. The Bengals activated their starting cornerback from injured reserve today, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (via Twitter). Offensive lineman D’Ante Smith has also been activated from IR (per ESPN’s Ben Baby on Twitter).

The Bengals signed Waynes to a three-year, $42MM deal in March 2020, but the organization has only gotten two games out of their investment. Waynes missed all of 2020 because of a torn pec, and a hamstring injury forced him to miss the start of this season. The 29-year-old managed to get into Week 4 and Week 5, starting both games while collecting five tackles. However, he aggravated his hamstring injury in that latter game, and he hasn’t seen the field since.

Waynes is attached to an $8.4MM base salary this season; that number climbs to $10.4MM in 2022. The Bengals are on the hook for Waynes’ prorated signing bonus ($5MM) next year but could save $11MM by making the seven-year vet a cap casualty. The veteran’s performance down the stretch will likely determine his future with the organization.

Smith is a fourth-round rookie out of East Carolina. He didn’t see the field during the first month of the season, and he was stashed on IR with a knee injury in mid-October.

The Bengals made a handful of additional moves in anticipation of their game against the Broncos tomorrow, promoting linebacker Austin Calitro, wide receiver Trent Taylor, and linebacker Keandre Jones from the practice squad.

1 comment Transactions

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/8/21

By | at December 8, 2021 7:46 pm

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Designated for return: G D’Ante Smith, CB Trae Waynes

Denver Broncos

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Washington Football Team

0 comments Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals Denver Broncos Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Rams Miami Dolphins New Orleans Saints New York Jets Transactions Washington Commanders

Trae Waynes Facing Lengthy Absence

By | at October 22, 2021 11:51 am

Injuries have defined Trae Waynes‘ Cincinnati stay, and the veteran cornerback’s most recent issue stands to keep him out a while. Already on IR with a hamstring problem, Waynes is facing an extended absence.

Zac Taylor said Friday that Waynes will not need to undergo surgery for his troublesome hamstring, via The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. (on Twitter), but the third-year Bengals HC does not expect the team’s top cornerback investment to be back after missing the minimum three games. An extended IR stay is likely for Waynes.

This is certainly not new ground for the former first-round pick. Waynes missed all of 2020 because of a torn pec. This year, a hamstring pull kept him out of the Bengals’ first three games. Waynes subsequently aggravated his hamstring in Week 5, leading to an IR trip.

The Bengals signed Waynes to a three-year, $42MM deal in March 2020. This price proved somewhat surprising at the time, given Waynes’ performance to that point, but the ex-Vikings starter had stayed mostly healthy in Minnesota. The 29-year-old cover man has played just two games with Cincinnati, however.

Since signing Waynes, the Bengals have been busy at corner. They added Chidobe Awuzie and slot defender Mike Hilton this offseason and recently claimed multiyear Seahawks starter Tre Flowers. The Bengals have made notable improvements defensively this season, after two bad years to start the Taylor regime. Cincinnati enters Week 7 fifth in scoring defense.

Waynes is attached to an $8.4MM base salary this season; that number climbs to $10.4MM in 2022. The Bengals are on the hook for Waynes’ prorated signing bonus ($5MM) next year but could save $11MM by making the seven-year vet a cap casualty.

1 comment Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Move CB Trae Waynes To IR

By | at October 12, 2021 2:25 pm

By October’s end, Trae Waynes will have played in just two of the Bengals’ past 24 games. The veteran cornerback is heading to IR with a hamstring injury, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Waynes aggravated the hamstring issue that previously forced him to miss Cincinnati’s first three games this season. The former Vikings cornerback missed all of last year.

The Bengals paid Waynes handsomely last year, signing the former first-round pick to a three-year, $42MM deal. That pact has not worked out to this point. Waynes missed the 2020 season due to a torn pectoral muscle suffered last August. He will now be down for the next three Bengals games. Waynes, 29, missed just six games over the course of his five-year Vikings tenure.

Cincinnati was busy at cornerback this year, adding outside cover man Chidobe Awuzie and slot man Mike Hilton in free agency. Neither’s deal is in Waynes’ ballpark, however, with Awuzie signing for $7.25MM per year and Hilton leaving Pittsburgh for $6MM on average. The Bengals let William Jackson walk in free agency rather than use its franchise tag to retain him.

0 comments Cincinnati Bengals Transactions

AFC Notes: Jets, Chargers, Ekeler, Bengals, Waynes

By | at November 24, 2020 2:10 pm

Another week, more drama with the Jets. While tanking is often talked about in the NFL in terms of roster construction and letting young guys play, it’s very rare for a team to be accused of actively trying to lose games. But that’s exactly what’s happening in New York, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes. The latest dustup surrounds starting cornerback Bless Austin, and a neck injury that just landed him on injured reserve. Head coach Adam Gase had previously expressed optimism that Austin would play this past Sunday, then suddenly pivoted and said the team’s doctors told him Austin didn’t feel good.

Mehta writes that Jets employees “vehemently disagreed with the head coach’s characterization of the situation.” He reports that Austin told teammates the neck issue would only require a couple of days of rest, and that the medical staff shared that opinion. After that, “people at all levels of the organization have started to wonder whether Jets brass actually care about winning any of their remaining games.” Mehta says some within the building have concluded “the powers that be want to tank for Trevor Lawrence.” The Jets just cut starting cornerback Pierre Desir and placed fellow corner Brian Poole on injured reserve, making Austin’s absence all the more significant in their now extremely young secondary. It’s not unusual for a team to strip down its roster of veterans, but it would be unusual for a team to purposely sideline a healthy player in order to field a less competitive product. This will be an interesting situation to keep an eye on as the season winds down.

Here’s more from a couple of the AFC’s other divisions:

  • The Chargers are in the midst of yet another injury-plagued season, but reinforcements may be on the way. The team will designate star running back Austin Ekeler to return from injured reserve and he’ll practice this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. Pelissero adds that it’s not clear yet if he’ll be able to be active for this weekend’s game against the Bills, but either way it sounds like he’ll be back on the field very soon. He’s been one of the league’s most productive running backs the past two years, both as a runner and receiver. Ekeler hasn’t played since Week 4 due to a serious hamstring injury he suffered against the Buccaneers. He was averaging over five yards per carry with 17 receptions through only a little over three games.
  • While Ekeler will be back any week now, things are a lot less certain for Bengals cornerback Trae Waynes. Waynes signed a three-year, $42MM deal with Cincy this offseason, but hasn’t played in a game yet after tearing a pec in August. Waynes finally popped up on the rehab field at a Bengals practice this past week, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic writes, but a return this season is still in question. “Still unsure at this point, honestly,” Waynes said. “I’m trying to work as hard and as fast and as smart as I can to get back out there without risk of jeopardizing my body to another injury. Unfortunately, it’s not up to me to decide if I can get cleared. So, I’m just doing my part to make that happen as soon as possible.” Waynes expressed frustration with what looks like a lost year, adding that the COVID-19 restrictions have made it hard for him to get acclimated to his new team without being able to practice or play. “Very frustrating, boring,” the former first-round pick of the Vikings said. “I’m not used to it. It’s my first major injury through college and the NFL. I’m not used to just sitting out the whole season and doing absolutely nothing but rehabbing.”
  • In case you missed it, crucial Titans linebacker Jayon Brown is out for the season.
4 comments Cincinnati Bengals Los Angeles Chargers New York Jets

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/18/20

By | at November 18, 2020 5:20 pm

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Activated from IR: OL Phil Haynes
  • Placed on IR: CB Neiko Thorpe

Tennessee Titans

5 comments Baltimore Ravens COVID-19 Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Houston Texans Miami Dolphins New York Giants New York Jets Philadelphia Eagles San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Tennessee Titans Transactions
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