The Cincinnati Bengals recently shored up their biggest offseason question by giving star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson an increase in pay heading into the 2025 season. While the move still allows Hendrickson to enter unrestricted free agency at the end of the season, at which point the Bengals' notoriously cheap ownership may choose to let him go, the Bengals still have their best defensive player on the roster for now.
On Thursday, the Bengals continued trimming and adding to their roster in advance of the upcoming season.
They announced that they have “signed free agent G Dalton Risner,… waived DT Eric Gregory,… signed OT Javon Foster to the practice squad,… signed S Russ Yeast to the practice squad and …released OT Devin Cochran from the practice squad,” per their official team website.
The team also noted that “The Bengals' practice squad currently is one spot shy of the 16-player limit.”
The biggest move here as it pertains to the upcoming season is the signing of Risner, who has played seven years in the NFL after being drafted by the Denver Broncos. He spent the last two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and figures to give the Bengals additional help in an offensive line unit trying its best to protect quarterback Joe Burrow.
Last year, Burrow and the offense had an elite season, but it was mostly the defense that held Cincinnati back from reaching its potential. While keeping Hendrickson around will help keep the Bengals' defense from falling off a cliff completely, it is worth noting that the unit struggled mightily in 2024 with Hendrickson having another great year.
In any case, the Bengals are slated to open up their 2025 season on the road against the AFC North divisional rival Cleveland Browns on September 7. That game is slated to kick off at 1:00 PM ET from Cleveland.
