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Ben Baby
CINCINNATI — Ahead of an ambitious offseason, the Bengals cleared up more salary cap room by releasing offensive guard Alex Cappa, the team announced Monday morning.
Cappa was set to enter the final year of a four-year contract. The transaction frees up more capital for the Bengals with three star players — wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, wide receiver Tee Higgins and defensive end Trey Hendrickson — all eyeing new deals this offseason.
Cincinnati has now created an additional $17.6 million in cap space, according to Roster Management System. As of Monday morning, the Bengals had $5.9 million in leftover cap space to be used for the upcoming league year that begins on March 12.
Cappa, 30, was the first major upgrade the Bengals signed after reaching Super Bowl LVI, where Cincinnati lost to the Los Angeles Rams. After quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked 19 times in four playoff games, the Bengals targeted Cappa to fix the offensive line. Cappa and the Bengals agreed to terms as soon as the free agency window opened in 2022.
After an injury suffered in Week 18 of the regular season, Cappa’s production slipped. In 2023, Cappa ranked 60th out of 62 players in pass block win rate as a guard, an ESPN metric powered by Next Gen Stats. Last season, Cappa ranked last among 64 qualifying players in the same statistic.
Cappa is the second notable cut the Bengals made in recent weeks. Cincinnati also released defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, who battled a viral illness for the bulk of last season. That move created $9.6 million in cap space.
Cincinnati has expressed optimism that the team can get deals done with Higgins, Chase and Hendrickson. Chase and Hendrickson are under contract for one more season. Higgins is set to become a free agent unless the two sides agree to a long-term extension or the Bengals place the franchise tag on him before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
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