Bengals waive rookie who wasn't even counting against their 90-man roster right before training camp begins
The Cincinnati Bengals continue tweaking their roster with training camp just a day away. Cincinnati waived rookie defensive tackle Dante Barnett Tuesday morning. Barnett is not just any rookie, he was signed by the Bengals in May following the 2025 NFL Draft as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) program. The Birmingham, England native […]
The Cincinnati Bengals continue tweaking their roster with training camp just a day away.
Cincinnati waived rookie defensive tackle Dante Barnett Tuesday morning.
Barnett is not just any rookie, he was signed by the Bengals in May following the 2025 NFL Draft as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) program. The Birmingham, England native was one of 14 players chosen for this year's IPP class.
Because he was part of the IPP, Barnett did not count against Cincinnati's offseason roster, which can have a maximum of 90 players. His departure does not open up a rosters space the Bengals can now use.
Cincinnati signed the 22-year old Barnett along with two college free agents in Howard Cross III and Eric Gregory, and Barnett's dismissal comes on the heels of the club adding McTelvin Agim and Taven Bryan over the weekend. The DT room now has eight players including starter B.J. Hill, who will be limited for most of training camp due to a foot injury.
Defensive linemen are the talk of the Bengals right now as both All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson and first-round pick Shemar Stewart of the same position are away from the team due to contract disputes. Hendrickson is holding out for an extension while under contract, and Stewart is the last first-rounder to not sign his rookie deal and one of only two of 257 draft picks still unsigned.
Without Hendrickson and Stewart, and now Barnett, Cincinnati's d-line consists of 14 players, 13 of which will be fully healthy as Hill works his way back to 100%.
The Bengals officially kick off training camp Wednesday morning with three practices leading up to the weekend.
Bengals’ finishing touches on training camp roster include signing defensive tackle who used to play for AFC North rival
Cincinnati signs four new players at the onset of training camp.
