5 surprise cut candidates for the Bengals in 2022

The Cincinnati Bengals have a few months until they start discussing who will make the roster and how many players will be taken at each position. They need to cut the roster down to 53, which means throughout training camp and preseason, some names could be on the cusp of making or not, depending on their play.

Year after year, this always surprises players who may get cut or assigned to the practice squad, which many didn’t expect. Sometimes it can be due to freeing up money and cap space if they are not performing up to their contract, and sometimes it can be because they were just outplayed by a UDFA or another training camp invite.

5. Brandon Wilson

Over the last few seasons, Brandon Wilson has been very valuable for the Bengals on special teams and in the kick return game; however, he went down with a season-ending injury early last season, and when Chris Evans took over as the lead man, he was very effective. Not to mention that Trent Taylor also impressed in the punt return game.

If Wilson can’t find a way to win either job back in training camp, he could very well be one of the guys that find himself cut from the 53-man roster. Wilson tore his ACL, and it was something fans knew right away once he was carted off.

It was very unfortunate the way it happened, especially to a guy like Wilson, who statistically was one of the better kick returners in 2020, the year prior.

Wilson is due right around $2.5 million in 2022 in the final year of his contract. If Cincinnati decides to cut him, they could save in the range of $2 million.

Being 28-years-old, he is a guy who can get picked up very quickly off waivers for his special team’s ability. For the Bengals, it could be extra money that they can have rollover into the next offseason when they are eligible to re-sign Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, and Logan Wilson.