The Bengals have claimed OT Myles Hinton off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles.
It is not one bit surprising to see the Bengals add an OT through waivers. The depth has been under question for most of the offseason, and it really heated up once Cody Ford was released.
Hinton was originally a 6th round pick of the Eagles in 2025. He spent his rookie year on IR, and inconsistencies this preseason led to his release.
Entering the 2025 draft, I had Hinton as my 12th rated OT of the class, and had him graded as a late 4th round value.
Below is his scouting report from that article:
Ht/Wt: 6’7”, 323 lbs
Strengths:
Hinton has a nice blend of traits, showing off good movement skills and a nice amount of power and strength. He has the ability to anchor against some of the bigger guys he’ll face. When he is on his game, his feet are dug in firmly, and opposition power isn’t a threat. Hinton’s athleticism allows him to mirror various rushes and protect the edge against speed. Both traits translate nicely in the run game. He can block downhill and create a lot of push. He actually finishes really well, continuing to dive his opponent forward right until the whistle. As a blocker in space, he has the speed and quickness to hit those targets, and his strong finishing was also evident here. He put some guys right on the ground. Hinton has a bit of versatility to him, starting games at both LT and RT.
Weaknesses:
The traits are all visible with Hinton, but at this point, his game is filled with too many mistakes. Despite the raw strength he possesses, he sometimes has a tough time sustaining his blocks. Technique is to blame here more than anything else. His pad level gets a bit high, and his hand technique is also unrefined. There were also multiple times where he was considerably slow to get out of his stance off of the snap. For an extra split second, he would still be sitting there, which obviously puts him at a disadvantage on those plays. The issues sustaining blocks were present in his run blocking as well as pass blocking, and some whiffs were also there.
Summary:
Hinton has all the traits to be a successful player in the league. His strength/power is enough to anchor in pass protection against tough competition, and can send guys flying when he is run blocking. If not for sloppy technique, he could be a day 1 starter, but that, unfortunately, is not the case. Issues with his footwork and hand technique have led to inconsistencies when it comes to sustaining blocks, both in the pass and run game. He actually had some quick losses because of it. As well, his bad habit of being late out of his stance after the snap will get him in a lot of trouble if it is not fixed. Hinton is a work in progress, at this point, but the upside is there. Obviously, with these kinds of players, there is risk, and the development doesn’t always work out. But he has starter upside if a team is able to successfully develop him and improve his technique. He might go on day 3, and he could be a solid value pick.
| Grade: 70.9 | Round Grade: 4th |
Given that he entered the league needing a lot of technical work, the inconsistencies aren’t surprising, considering he is entering year 2, and spent his rookie year on IR.
The Bengals needed depth at the position. In all honesty, this probably doesn’t do a lot to help their current situation. But OL coach Scott Peters has been praised for his ability to develop players, since joining the staff in Cincinnati. Hinton has all the tools, so you can see why he would be of interest to the Bengals.
In order to make room, the team released TE Tanner Hudson.
Hudson was working behind Mike Gesicki as a receiving TE, but the team liked his reliability. He was sitting out the later portion of the preseason, which suggested that his spot was safe.
As a vested veteran, Hudson does not need to pass through waivers. It is possible that this is just a temporary transaction.
It is not uncommon for teams to release a veteran with a “handshake deal” to re-sign him once other moves are made to open the spot back up. That could come, for example, in the form of someone being placed on the injured list. Releasing a veteran allows you to dodge the risk of losing someone to waivers. We’ll see in the coming days if this ends up being the case with Hudson.
Thumbnail Image Via: Maize & Blue Nation (CC)