The Cincinnati Bengals could free up cap space by releasing T.J. Slaton
The Cincinnati Bengals’ 2025 season was disappointing, as they missed the postseason with a 6-11 record. Bengals fans will now look to the offseason and hope necessary changes are made to produce a better team next season.
Unlike many teams that missed the postseason, the Bengals have stability at quarterback. With Joe Burrow, they already have their franchise quarterback in place. Despite what some may suggest, they also have a head coach in Zac Taylor, who has proven he can win in the postseason as he has a 5-2 record in the playoffs.
Regarding the team retaining Taylor, The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. called it the right move, saying it “actually gives the team the best chance at a redemptive run in 2026.”
Cincinnati Bengals Expected to Cut Defensive Starter
Despite Dehner believing the team has a chance at making a run in 2026, substantial changes will have to be made on the roster. Bengals Wire writer Chris Rolling spoke on veterans who will likely not be on the team, and he included defensive tackle T.J. Slaton, who is currently under contract after signing a two-year, $15.1 million deal.
Rolling wrote on the possibility of releasing Slaton, “Given the need on the interior of the defensive line, it would be a mild shock to see the Bengals cut veteran help. But Slaton’s a classic dead-money example of a Bengals cut. Letting him go would clear up $6.4 million in space. If the plan is this area as early as Round 1, it only makes sense.”
In 2025, Slaton carried a $5.4 million cap hit, but in 2026, that escalates to $8.9 million. With no guaranteed money remaining, the Bengals do have the option to release him for the reasons Rolling mentioned. Despite starting 17 games for the Bengals, his production did not match his contract value as he had a 44.4 overall grade by Pro Football Focus, which ranked 116th out of 134 qualified interior defensive linemen.
Bengals Possible Additions
Offensively, the Bengals appear pretty much set. Even with their 6-11 record, Cincinnati finished with the seventh-best offense in points per game. Regarding the offense, Dehner wrote, “The offense is in a great place. Joe Burrow has weapons, a play caller he fully supports and developed years of comfort as he’s grown into one of the best quarterbacks on the planet. They built a system that, when Burrow, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase are healthy, performs as one of the best in the NFL.”
Fortunately, it seems that the Bengals will make additions on defense, where they struggled heavily last season. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Bengals were planning to spend this offseason. If they release Slaton, Cincinnati would have $60 million in available cap space this offseason, which would allow them to be aggressive in free agency.
In terms of who they might go after, Fox Sports predicted Cincinnati as a potential landing spot for defensive lineman D.J. Reader, who was a member of the Bengals from 2020 to 2023. Unlike Slaton, Reader finished with a positive grade from PFF as he ranked in the top-25 of interior defensive linemen in pass-rush grade.
Jose Esquer Jose Esquer is a Mexican-American sportswriter and communications student based in San Diego, CA. His work spans football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. He has written for platforms like RotoWire and DolphinsTalk. You can find him on Twitter/X @JEsquer8, usually talking Dolphins, world football, or both. More about Jose Esquer
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