Three players the Cincinnati Bengals could make salary cap casualties ahead of free agency
In putting together the 2024 Cincinnati Bengals roster, some from the 2023 squad will eventually be saying goodbye due to roster management. These decisions will be labeled as "salary cap casualties," but they're more nuanced than that. The club would not only save cap space, but also cash that can be put towards immediate payouts […]
In putting together the 2024 Cincinnati Bengals roster, some from the 2023 squad will eventually be saying goodbye due to roster management.
These decisions will be labeled as "salary cap casualties," but they're more nuanced than that. The club would not only save cap space, but also cash that can be put towards immediate payouts for new free agents and possible extensions. Clearing the depth chart at certain positions will also create physical space for potential upgrades.
Three veteran Bengals have been strongly, or loosely, linked towards being released in the coming weeks. Let's talk about the logistics and likelihood of each one.
Bengals potential cap casualties
Nick Scott, safety
2024 cap savings: $2.3 million
2024 cash savings: $3.3 million
It's only been 11 months into his three-year contract, but the Scott experiment should be over. The Bengals thought they beat the NFL in finding a cost-effective way to replace what Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell took away with their departures.
They were flat out wrong.
Scott was a total liability at safety in 2023, so much so that it's not worth keeping him around as a reserve when someone else can do the job at the same price. The soon-to-be 29 year old veteran is also the only one of the three with multiple years left on his deal, meaning the Bengals would carry dead cap on the books in 2025 if they designate him as a pre-June 1 cut.
I'd say it's still worth taking in a few million in savings this year, and putting them towards finding a better third option to join up with Dax Hill and Jordan Battle.
Likelihood: 8/10
B.J. Hill, defensive tackle
2024 cap savings: $7.5 million
2024 cash savings: $7.5 million
Releasing Hill with one year left on his three-year, $30 million deal would save the Bengals the most cap space and cash out of these options. There's an argument to be made that Hill hasn't quite lived up to that contract, but the cost of replacing him is probably greater than the savings they'd realize by letting him go.
Hill is proven to be best used in a rotation at 3-technique, and he has experience playing in the A-gaps as well. For $7.5 million, that's not a bad deal at all.
Above everything else, the Bengals will already be adding multiple defensive tackles this offseason. Replacing Hill on top of that seems like a task they aren't willing to do.
Likelihood: 2/10
Joe Mixon, running back
2024 cap savings: $5.75 million
2024 cash savings: $5.75 million
Finally, the guy who's been in this conversation for over a year! The 2023 offseason featured vicious debate around Mixon's future. There was no chance the club was going to do nothing with him. A clean cut from the roster or a cut to his pay was inevitable, and the latter ended up as the move. Mixon now has one year left to make a little under $6 million, but would ultimately count for $8.5 million against the cap.
That looks and feels like too much for a running back that should be featured less than he has been in recent years.
The only reason why this isn't a slam dunk to me is the fact that they kept this year as a part of the new contract. Mixon took the pay cut with grace, and the Bengals could honor that by keeping him around. They'd also be able to find a younger and more explosive option for about the same price and a smaller cap hit. That's the tipping point.
Likelihood: 6/10
Bengals’ Joe Mixon makes strong statement regarding latest reporting on his future
Mixon left nothing to be misinterpreted.
