CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals released cornerback Trae Waynes on Monday.
Waynes was entering the final season of a three-year contract that was worth up to $42 million. Cincinnati saves $10.9 million against the salary cap while incurring $5 million in dead money for the upcoming season, according to Roster Management System.
Waynes, the 11th overall pick in the 2015 draft, played in just five games in two seasons with the Bengals.
“I think injuries played a big part there, for sure,” Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said in February at the NFL scouting combine, when asked why Waynes didn’t pan out with the club.
He suffered a torn pectoral injury during the 2020 training camp that caused him to miss the entire season. In 2021, Waynes battled through a hamstring injury that eventually put him on injured reserve for eight weeks. By the time he returned, the Bengals stuck with Chidobe Awuzie and Eli Apple as their starting outside cornerbacks. Last week, Cincinnati re-signed Apple to a one-year contract.
Waynes’ arrival in Cincinnati sparked a shift in the front office’s roster composition process. Along with D.J. Reader, who signed a four-year deal worth $53 million, the 2020 free agency period saw the Bengals sign external free agents to big contracts.
That trend continued in ’21, before Cincinnati’s run to Super Bowl LVI, and continued last week, too. The Bengals have added three new offensive linemen in the past seven days — center Ted Karras, right guard Alex Cappa and offensive tackle La’el Collins. Their contracts are expected to be worth at least $83 million.
Source: www.espn.com