1. Cut Trae Waynes – Saves $10 million
It’s easy to fault the Bengals for signing Trae Waynes to a three-year contract worth $42 million during the 2020 offseason. He wasn’t necessarily a star but he was a dependable and durable cornerback during his previous five-year stint with the Vikings.
Unfortunately for Cincinnati, sometimes you swing and miss with free agents and that’s exactly what happened with Waynes.
The cornerback missed the entire 2020 season after getting injured in training camp that summer. When he was finally cleared to return for 2021 training camp, he was injured once again and missed the first three games of the season.
When Waynes was finally healthy enough to play, it was clear that he wasn’t the same player he once was. He ended up playing predominantly on special teams by season’s end. Heck, when Chidobe Awuzie had to exit the Super Bowl due to injury, Waynes didn’t get the call. Tre Flowers was called upon instead.
With all of this said, cutting Waynes is a no-brainer. He’s been ineffective and cutting him saves the Bengals $10 million, per Spotrac. This will be one of the easiest moves Cincinnati has to make this offseason.
What other roster decisions do you see the Cincinnati Bengals making in the 2022 offseason?