The Cincinnati Bengals let former starting left guard Cordell Volson leave in free agency all the way back in March. Volson now finds himself a free agent again, and that could have an impact on Cincinnati’s 2027 NFL Draft plans.

Volson signed a one-year, $3.215 million contract with the Tennessee Titans this offseason, but was part of Tennessee’s roster cuts over the weekend. Three full days after re-entering the open market, he still hasn’t found a new team.

Volson’s release does justify the Bengals’ decision to move on from him in the first place, but it also presents a potential issue that could arise next spring.

Bengals could lose compensatory pick in next year’s draft 

Volson’s contract was not big by any means, but it was large enough to potentially factor into the compensatory pick formula for the 2027 draft.

The NFL awards 32 compensatory picks to clubs prior to each draft. Those 32 selections are based on the 32 largest qualifying contracts signed by free agent departures from those teams. A club is only eligible to receive compensatory picks if it lost more qualifying players than it gained in free agency.

Trey Hendrickson’s four-year, $112 million deal, for example, is large enough to give the Bengals a third-round compensatory pick in next year’s draft. Volson’s deal, while significantly smaller, was enough to potentially give Cincinnati a seventh-round pick as well.

Now that Volson is out of a job, the Bengals are at risk of losing that extra pick. He will need to play a decent amount this season with a new team in order for his contract to qualify toward the compensatory formula.

Why a seventh-round pick still matters

A seventh-round selection may not seem like much on the surface. Most players picked in that range amount to very little in the grand scheme of things.

The Bengals traditionally hold on to as many picks as possible, and this past draft is a great example why.

Cincinnati had two seventh-round picks to use in the 2026 draft. The extra came from the Logan Wilson trade from the middle of last season. The picks became tight end Jack Endries, and defensive tackle Landon Robinson, two players who both made the 53-man roster, and appear to have promising futures on the roster. 

Endries and Robinson are two prime examples why the Bengals love having extra swings in the draft. After a year in which they needed to trade back to end up with seven picks, the club office will want more than that in 2027.

Volson’s uncertain future shouldn’t drastically change the Bengals’ draft outlook. They are still receiving the third-round compensatory pick from losing Hendrickson. But if Volson doesn’t find a new team and sees the field, you can safely count the Bengals out of receiving an extra seventh-round pick next year.