Ex-Bengals who could be salary cap casualties & odds of return to Cincinnati

While Over The Cap’s Top 100 potential cut candidates only had one current Cincinnati Bengals player, several former Bengals from around the NFL landed on their list.

If these ex-Men in Stripes were to become salary cap casualties, the inevitable question becomes, could any of them find their way back to the Queen City?

The short answer is probably not, for a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, we take a closer look at the former Bengals on Over the Cap’s list and try to assign realistic odds of their chances of a reunion in Cincinnati.

Reunion with backup QB Andy Dalton unlikely

Cincinnati could be looking at a backup quarterback with a lot of starting experience for next season. Could that signal-caller be Andy Dalton? 

It's a long shot. Carolina is a better organization now than a few offseasons ago, when Bengals safety Vonn Bell signed a three-year deal, only to be released after the 2023 season and come back to Cincy for a second stint.

The now-Panthers QB will be 39 years old next season. Releasing the vet would not save as much as the other players here. Carolina would save only $151,000, leaving a dead cap number of $5.7 million.

While the Bengals will need a second-string QB, the Red Rifle feels like a stretch. And from Dalton's side, even though he's several years removed from getting benched on his birthday, the coach who made that call is still in the building, to the chagrin of many and the fan base.

Dalton has been a positive influence on quarterback Bryce Young's development. The cap savings and the dead money charge would likely prevent the team from moving on from him.

However, even if it happened, we could only put his chances of returning to Cincinnati at 10%. Would make for a fascinating storyline, though.

Texans face Joe Mixon cap decision 

Joe Mixon's last season with the Cincinnati Bengals was 2023. That year, the team wisely drafted Chase Brown. It's too bad. It took two years for the coaches to realize that Brown could be a franchise lead back.

As for Mixon, he played 14 games in 2024 for the Houston Texans, but did not suit up in 2025 due to a mysterious foot injury that landed him on the non-football injury list for the entire season.

After not playing in 2025, the Texans can get out from under his contract and save $8 million and cap space. However, with Mixon surely still wanting the lion's share of carries whenever he is healthy again, bringing him back to Cincy as Brown's backup would not be ideal. But never say never.

Joe Mixon is likely to get released by the Texans this offseason. However, we put the odds of his return to Cincinnati as Brown's backup at 5%.

And with the emergence of rookie Woody Marks, the Texans might have already found a suitable replacement.

Logan Wilson’s time in Dallas likely short lived

After trading for a linebacker, Logan Wilson, the Dallas Cowboys have a chance to move on from the former Bengals linebacker and save $6.5 million in the process. They would also save $7.2 million for the 2027 season against the cap.

The Bengals brass were quick to move on from Wilson, letting the rookie linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter learn on the job.

Read More: Bengals draft pick has fans questioning everything after only one season

What we learned while they were on the job is that the Bengals must improve, and the linebacker room needs to do the same next season. However, we should not count on them looking to Wilson for that said improvement.

Dallas is likely to release Wilson this offseason. Nevertheless, we should not expect him to be a part of Cincinnati's plan to improve the NFL's worst defense. Therefore, we put his chances of returning at 5%.

Could Akeem Davis-Gaither provide depth for the 2026 Bengals?

Speaking of linebacker help, the Arizona Cardinals’ Akeem Davis-Gaither also made Over the Caps’ list. 

Davi-Gaither appeared in all 17 games for the Cardinals this season, making 13 starts. He recorded 117 tackles, two tackles for loss, five passes defended, and one forced fumble.

Nevertheless, with a new regime incoming in Arizona, the Cardinals will be looking to save cap space. And they would save $4.7 million against the cap while incurring a $1.5 million dead money hit.

A reunion with ADG would be more intriguing than the above players, as he is a more capable past defender than the two Bengals’ rookies proved to be this season.

We will put Davis-Gaither’s chances of returning to Cincinnati at 25% if the Cardinals release him. He could provide valuable depth, and hopefully, the team will bring in at least one other starting-level veteran and a promising rookie linebacker in the draft.

Will new Raiders’ regime want Alex Cappa or cap space?

The Las Vegas Raiders signed offensive lineman Alex Cappa to a two-year deal worth $11.2 million last offseason. Now, the Raiders are in line to save $5 million against the cap while taking on a $1 million dead money charge.

Chapa showed his versatility, if you choose to label it as such, by playing guard and center this season for the Raiders. Whether he played well enough to justify that free agent contract remains in the eyes of the beholder.

Like with the Cardinals, a new coaching staff is on its way to Las Vegas. Once they get there, they will see that their offensive line needs immediate overhauling. Cappa could become one of those involved in the turnover.

And there will be those in the building in Cincinnati who would not mind bringing back Cappa as a center/guard backup. However, if he's looking for $7 million per year, it would not, and should not, happen with the Bengals.

We will put his chances of coming back to the Bengals at 10%, acknowledging that they would be lower if not for someone within the organization who might not mind him returning.

The dream Jessie Bates reunion that won’t happen 

Of course, we had to save the figurative and literal best for last. One of the more surprising and improbable names on this potential free agent list is Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates.

Releasing Bates would save the Falcons $6.5 million in cap space; however, the $18.2 million dead-money hit would be too high to absorb.

Furthermore, Bates is coming off a second-team All-Pro level season. We put the chances of the Falcons releasing the star safety at .0003%

If he were to be released by the Falcons due to cap considerations, which he will not be, the Bengals would jump at the chance to bring Bates back to the Queen City.

They should not count on being able to identify safeties in the draft who could make an immediate impact, especially given that teammate Xavier Watts played under Al Golden at Notre Dame.

We should not count on Bates’ agent playing nice with the Bengals, either, which would complicate things further. Joe Burrow could be a powerful recruiter since he and Bates have a close relationship, or at least did when they played together.

In that context, let's put the chances of Bates returning to Cincinnati at 50% if released. The Bengals would, and should, make a move to bring them back. It's a question of whether his and his agent's interests align with making that happen.

Furthermore, would the Bengals pay enough for those interests to somehow magically come together, like a well-executed Doctor Strange spell that makes everyone forget about how things went down just a few years ago? Tough to envision.

For better or worse, unlikely any of them make it back to Cincinnati

From a negative experience with the Bengals organization to their own lackluster play, or to the current team's willingness to part ways with the player, for better or worse, don't expect any of the players on this list to come back to Cincinnati, each for their own reasons.

We would love for safety Jessie Bates to return to Cincinnati, obviously. He should have never left, from a selfish Bengals’ fan standpoint.

Another intriguing possibility for the Bengals, if he were released, is Davis-Gaither to provide much-needed help in the linebacker room. 

As unlikely as it is that some of the names on this list will hit free agency, it is just as improbable, if not more so, that they would make their way back to Cincinnati.

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