With Super Bowl 59 now well in the rearview mirror, we've officially arrived at cut season for NFL teams. For teams, parting ways with players isn't always easy, but it's often necessary in the name of improvement. Players get cut by every team, every single year, and this year will be no different.
The Cincinnati Bengals, specifically. have several intriguing options when it comes to cut candidates, and Matt Okada of NFL.com recently highlighted three of them. In a list of 18 potential cut candidates from across the league this offseason, and Sam Hubbard, Sheldon Rankins and Alex Cappa were all mentioned.
Sheldon Rankins, Alex Cappa and Sam Hubbard listed as potential cut candidates for Cincinnati
Parting ways with Rankins would make a lot of sense for Cincinnati, and is something that's likely to happen. Doing so would save Cincinnati $9.5 million against the cap, while counting as just $2 million in dead money, per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic.
The Bengals signed Rankins to a two-year deal last offseson, but his first season in Cincinnati was extremely underwhelming. Availability was Rankins' main issue, as he missed more games than he played in. He was sidelined for three games early in the season with a hamstring injury, and then he missed the final seven games of the campaign with an illness. Overall, he missed 10 games and played in only seven.
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Defensive end Sam Hubbard was also included on the list. The team cutting Hubbard would be a bit harder to swallow for Bengals fans than a guy like Rankins, but it's still a real possibility. Hubbard struggled in 2024, and his numbers were down across the board.
Hubbards had just 41 total tackles last season, which is his lowest total since his rookie season, when he didn't start a single game. His two sacks also tied a career-low. At 29, Hubbard's best days might be behind him, and the team would save over $9 million in salary cap space if they release him this offseason.
The team could certainly use the cap space, and they also need an upgrade at defensive end. As a result, Hubbard may have already played his last game in a Bengals uniform.
Guard Alex Cappa was the last Bengals player listed. Cappa has one year remaining on his current contract, but the team can save $8 million against the cap by cutting him, and doing so would likely be wise. Cappa has allowed 15 sacks over the past three seasons, which is the third-most by any guard in the league.
Moving forward, the Bengals need to do a better job of protecting star quarterback Joe Burrow, and moving on from Cappa could be a start.