Cincinnati Bengals officially awarded two compensatory picks ahead of 2024 NFL Draft

It's not fun when a team loses a big name in free agency, but at least there's a chance to mitigate the loss, somewhat, thanks to the NFL's compensatory draft pick system. The method of determining which teams receive what picks essentially boils down to as such: The bigger the contract signed by the departed […]

John Sheeran Cincinnati Bengals News Writer
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It's not fun when a team loses a big name in free agency, but at least there's a chance to mitigate the loss, somewhat, thanks to the NFL's compensatory draft pick system.

The method of determining which teams receive what picks essentially boils down to as such: The bigger the contract signed by the departed player, the higher the draft pick, but teams will never receive anything higher than a third-rounder. These picks will also cancel out if the team brings in a free agent of similar contractual value. The NFL awards 32 picks, in all, each year and teams are given no more than four picks, apiece.

Nowadays, teams are also awarded third-round compensatory selections for two years if they lose a minority coach or executive to a promotion with another team. And, they receive individual picks for each coach/executive, like the San Francisco 49ers and DeMeco Ryans and Ran Carthon.


Bengals will have two more selections during the 2024 NFL Draft

The Bengals have officially been awarded two sixth-round compensatory picks for next month's NFL Draft. They are the first two comp picks Cincinnati has earned since 2019.

The first sixth-round pick, No. 208 overall, comes from letting safety Vonn Bell walk for a three-year, $22.5 million deal ($7.5 million per year) with the Carolina Panthers.

The second sixth-round pick, No. 214 overall, is via Samaje Perine's two-year, $7.5 million deal ($3.75 million per year) with the Denver Broncos.

This gives the Bengals a grand total of nine selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. The last time the Bengals had more than eight was back in 2021.