According to the transaction wire, the Bengals have not asked S Brandon Wilson to re-sign.
This is an interesting case, as there had previously been some confusion as to whether the final year of his contract rolled over into 2023, after he spent all of last season on the PUP list. As you may remember, Wilson tore his ACL during the 2021 season, and hasn’t played since. Despite some sites having him as a 2024 UFA, he is, in fact, a free agent this offseason.
The Bengals not offering him a contract doesn’t rule out the possibility that they circle back at some point later on, but the most likely outcome is that his time in Cincinnati is over. It is unfortunate, as Wilson was one of the league’s top returners prior to his injury.
In addition to Wilson, the team also did not attempt to re-sign CB Eli Apple, CB Tre Flowers, LS Clark Harris, and CB Chris Lammons. Same goes for QB Brandon Allen, who was later signed by the 49ers.
Apple is somewhat of a surprise, given the quality snaps he has provided over the past couple of seasons. Though it doesn’t make much sense now to bring him back, given the use of multiple draft picks at CB, it is a surprise they weren’t more interested earlier in the offseason. Instead, the team brought in Sidney Jones.
Flowers was a depth player, the Bengals were looking to upgrade, while Lammons never played a snap after being claimed during the playoffs. He wasn’t eligible to suit up for the Bengals until this coming season, but the interest seems to have faded. As for Harris, his replacement is already on the roster, in Cal Adomitis.
Though circling back to some of these guys later on is possible, it seems to be the end of the line for some players who, at one point, played some important snaps for the Bengals.
Modified Featured Image Via: All-Pro Reels (CC)