In a move that many have been predicting for some time now, the Bengals have released C Trey Hopkins.
Hopkins was originally signed by the Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Early in his career, he spent time on injured reserve and on the practice squad, with a few short stints on the roster mixed in.
Hopkins became a regular in 2017 when he won the RG battle in training camp. He would go on to start 12 games that year, with mixed results.
Hopkins would then start 2018 as a backup, but saw significant time at C after then rookie 1st round pick, Billy Price, went down with an injury. The next year, with the new coaching staff, Hopkins would overtake Price as the team’s top C. He would serve as the starter from 2019-2021.
Hopkins was going into the final year of a 3 year/$20.4M contract. His release saves the Bengals $5.9M in cap space, while leaving behind $1.125M in dead money.
His release seemingly locks in newly acquired Ted Karras as the starting C.
In other news, DT Larry Ogunjobi is back on the free agent market. This comes just days after he agreed to terms with the Chicago Bears on a 3 year/$40.5M deal.
According to reports, Ogunjobi failed his physical with the Bears, causing them to back out. He is still recovering from a foot injury suffered during the Bengals Wildcard game against the Raiders.
It remains to be seen if the Bengals will circle back in on Ogunjobi. They have yet to fill his vacant spot. Regardless, it is a very tough break for Ogunjobi, after his breakout year was thought to have earned him a hefty raise.
