The AFC North champs are hoping to get back to the Super Bowl, but it’s never too early to look ahead — check out the full list of upcoming Bengals free agents for the 2023 offseason.
The 2022 NFL season has been quite a ride, and the AFC North really wasn’t much of a competition in the late stages of the season. The Ravens struggled without Lamar Jackson, who might be out for the postseason. The new-look Raiders fell way short of expectations at 6-11, the same which can be said about Russell Wilson‘s 5-12 Broncos.
Negating those three teams, it really came down to one team figuring it out — the Cincinnati Bengals. They closed out the season winners of eight straight games, finishing as the No. 1 seed with a 12-4 record. All things considered, the Bengals had a ton of work to do after a bad start to the season. Joe Burrow had been sacked 13 times, which was then-tied for the most sacks taken by any QB through two games over the past 20 seasons.
It was a bit weird considering the Bengals added four new offensive linemen — right tackle La’el Collins ($4.6M), right guard Alex Cappa ($6.8M), and center Ted Karras ($5M) — and allocated $29.9 million (14.1% of their total cap) to protect their star quarterback. Also, injuries didn’t help. But they bounced back and revamped their offense, giving Burrow more control to make adjustments. It paid off.
That brings us to what the upcoming NFL offseason looks like for Cincy — and how the team can preserve homegrown talent. Before we dive in, it’s worth noting that Burrow and star WR Tee Higgins are both eligible for extensions after this season. Let’s explore the full rundown of 2023 Cincinnati Bengals free agents.
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2023 Cincinnati Bengals Free Agents
NOTE: Includes only unrestricted and restricted free agents; exclusive rights free agents will not be included. All contract and salary info is via Spotrac unless otherwise noted.
Unrestricted free agents
1. S Jessie Bates III
- Age: 25
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $12,911,000
- 2022 salary: $12,911,000
2. SS Vonn Bell
- Age: 28
- Expiring contract: 3 years, $18,000,000
- 2022 salary: $6,100,000
3. CB Eli Apple
- Age: 27
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $3,750,000
- 2022 salary: $3,750,000
4. TE Hayden Hurst
- Age: 29
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $3,500,000
- 2022 salary: $3,500,000
5. CB Tre Flowers
- Age: 29
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $1,850,000
- 2022 salary: $1,850,000
6. RB Samaje Perine
- Age: 27
- Expiring contract: 2 years, $3,300,000
- 2022 salary: $1,400,000
7. QB Brandon Allen
- Age: 30
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $1,500,000
- 2022 salary: $1,500,000
8. TE Drew Sample
- Age: 26
- Expiring contract: 4 years, $5,506,296
- 2022 salary: $1,245,858
9. LS Clark Harris
- Age: 38
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $1,272,500
- 2022 salary: $1,272,500
10. G Max Scharping
- Age: 26
- Expiring contract: 4 years, $5,068,088
- 2022 salary: $2,540,000
11. FS Michael Thomas
- Age: 32
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $1,170,000
- 2022 salary: $1,170,000
12. WR Trent Taylor
- Age: 28
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $1,135,000
- 2022 salary: $1,135,000
13. CB Jalen Davis
- Age: 27
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $1,035,000
- 2022 salary: $1,035,000
14. CB Fabian Moreau
- Age: 28
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $1,035,000
- 2022 salary: $1,035,000
15. LB Germaine Pratt
- Age: 26
- Expiring contract: 4 years, $4,083,539
- 2022 salary: $2,540,000
16. RB Trayveon Williams
- Age: 25
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $850,000
- 2022 salary: $850,000
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Restricted free agents
17. LB Joe Bachie
- Age: 24
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $895,000
- 2022 salary: $480,000
Exclusive restricted free agents
18. LS Cal Adomitis
- Age: 24
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $705,000
- 2022 salary: $705,000
19. LB Clay Johnston
- Age: 26
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $660,000
- 2022 salary: $660,000
20. TE Mitchell Wilcox
- Age: 26
- Expiring contract: 1 year, $825,000
- 2022 salary: $825,000
2022 Bengals Salary Cap Details
Active contracts: $178,511,264
Dead cap money: $619,060
Total salary cap usage: $179,130,324
Salary cap space: $48,368,119
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