Bengals make their first roster cut ahead of preseason finale

The Cincinnati Bengals play their final preseason game on Saturday and have to trim their roster to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon. They now have their roster down to 88 players after cutting a member of the defensive line.

The recent cut was Tarell Basham, who the Bengals signed as a free agent in March. Unfortunately for Basham, he was injured early in training camp and never really got to contribute much. That, paired with a deep group of defensive linemen, led to Basham getting cut.

The former Ohio product played for the Cowboys and Titans last season and totaled just five tackles in seven games. He was originally looked at as a veteran depth piece but with guys like Jay Tufele, Raymond Johnson, and Jeff Gunter putting together some nice moments this summer, Basham was an easy choice to part with.

Bengals cut Tarell Basham

The Bengals will have to cut 30+ more players following Saturday's preseason finale. Basham joined the team as someone who fans thought could make the roster and contribute but his injury was his downfall. Fortunately, the depth is another big reason why Basham was let go so this won't be looked at as an unpopular move by any means.

Best of luck to Basham.