The Bengals have waived DE Wyatt Hubert from the reserve/retired list.
Hubert announced his retirement from the NFL last offseason, citing injuries as a deciding factor. However, after taking some time away from the game, Hubert has recently announced that he is ready to resume his NFL career.
The Bengals still owned his rights, with him being on the reserve/retired list. But with him coming out of retirement, the team decided to move on, placing him on waivers. The Bengals originally selected Hubert in the 7th round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
The NFL Combine got underway and earlier this week, Bengals director of player personnel, Duke Tobin, took the podium to answer some questions. In this press conference, Tobin gave some interesting answers on topics that have been buzzing recently in the Bengals and NFL community.
One topic he touched on was the trade rumours surrounding WR Tee Higgins. The rumours were largely started by “reporters” plucking things out of thin air, along with speculation about what his asking price might be when he becomes a free agent down the line. Tobin shut down the rumours immediately, calling them ridiculous. He went on to say that he is not interested in making other teams better, and that if they want a WR, they should go get their own.
The response aligns with how the Bengals have done business over the past several years. They don’t often make trades of this calibre, and don’t often let go of their star players. Jessie Bates may end up being a part of the other category, but it should also be noted that the team seemingly doesn’t value the safety position as highly as the WR position.
Duke Tobin also touched on RB Joe Mixon’s status with the team. After somewhat of a down year, many have labeled him a cut candidate, given that the Bengals can save over $10M by cutting him with a post June 1 designation, while taking a dead cap hit of $2.75M in each of the next 2 years.
Tobin was less direct when talking about Mixon. He talked about Mixon being a vital part of the team, but also noted that you can’t predict how the offseason will go. He further mentioned that after signing free agents and re-signing in-house guys, you don’t know at this point how things will end up financially. This implies that if they end up needing the money, Mixon is someone they may decide to cut loose. Perhaps a pay cut may be an option, as well, should Mixon be willing.
Modified Homescreen Image Via: Erik Drost (CC)