Bengals contract restructures could provide boost to cap space
One way is cuts. Another, though not very Bengals-like, is to chop up big contracts via restructures, shifting payments into signing bonuses. As we pointed out last week, the Kansas City Chiefs just did another major one with Patrick Mahomes, making it the fourth year in a row they’ve done so.
2026 NFL Scouting Combine List of Participants Announced
Of the 319 prospects, 166 are on offense, 146 are on defense and seven are specialists. Texas A&M, which produced Bengals’ 2025 first-round pick EDGE Shemar Stewart, has the most players invited to the Combine of any school (13). The Southeastern Conference leads the way in conference participants with 115 players invited, following by the Big Ten (83).
NFL Draft Expert Details Bold, Realistic Plan to Jumpstart Bengals in 2026
“Bengals should follow the Packers 2019 offseason as a rubric,” Forbes posted on X. “Off a 6-9-1 2018 season, the Packers deviated from their traditional approach and got aggressive in free agency. Signed: Za’Darius Smith ~ 4 Yrs $66M, Preston Smith ~ 4 Yrs $52M, Adrian Amos ~ 4 Yrs $37M, Billy Turner ~ 4 Yrs $28M. Selected Rashan Gary 12th overall. Went from 22nd in Points Allowed to ninth in a 13-3 debut season for Matt LaFleur. Four major deals allocated $45.75 million in average annual value or 24.3% of the 2019 $188.2 million salary cap.
Proctor, who won’t turn 21 until after he’s drafted, comes in at No. 29 in terms of average draft positioning when looking at the A to Z Sports Mock Draft Database. He’s a fringe first-round talent in an OT class that has questions below the consensus top prospect in Miami’s Francis Mauigoa.
Bengals’ top free-agent target might be former Rams, Panthers sleeper
“Christian Rozeboom of the Carolina Panthers is hardly a household name at the position, but two years ago he posted 135 total tackles in 17 games and 11 starts for the Los Angeles Rams. That got him a one-year deal with the Panthers, where he wore the green dot helmet communicator and paced the team with 122 total stops.”
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