After reaching the Super Bowl in surprising fashion last season, the Cincinnati Bengals had to add new starters and in turn, had to part ways with some of their starters from 2021.
The 2021 season was magical for Cincinnati Bengals fans. Here was a team that won four games in 2020 and saw its quarterback go down midway through the season. They overcame the odds and made it all the way to the Super Bowl the next season. It was quite the ride.
Three starters on the 2021 AFC Champion team were not only booted from the roster this offseason for one reason or another but they’re currently still searching for their next NFL home.
Here are three Bengals starters from last season who are still free agents (listed alphabetically).
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
Trey Hopkins
After going undrafted out of Texas in 2016, Trey Hopkins signed as an undrafted free agent with the Bengals. By the 2019 season, Hopkins had worked his way into the starting center role, which was pretty darn impressive for a UDFA.
The end of the 2020 season saw Hopkins get injured and that might have impacted his performance in 2021. He wasn’t the same guy last season and with the money the team could save by parting ways with Hopkins and Ted Karras signing a three-year deal in free agency, it made sense to move on.
Hopkins probably isn’t a starting-caliber center anymore but he could provide a nice backup veteran piece for a team with a young option at center or maybe an injury-prone player.