The Bengals have re-signed RB Trayveon Williams to a 1 year/$1.23M deal.
Williams was originally a 6th round pick of the Bengals in 2019. He spent most of his time on the team’s practice squad, before earning a roster spot out of camp in 2022.
He started last season as the 4th RB on the depth chart, but was eventually elevated to 3rd after Chris Evans puzzlingly fell out of favour. Williams also took over as the primary kick returner at this time.
Williams didn’t touch the ball much on offence. Between his touches on offence and special teams, he flashed a couple of times, but for the most part, was underwhelming. That said, the Bengals seem to like him, so he may have an edge in the competition this time around. He’ll have to hold off Chris Evans and other likely additions at RB, as well as potential signings and/or draft picks that might compete for the top returner position.
The Bengals lost another relatively big name from last year’s team, as TE Hayden Hurst has been signed by the Carolina Panthers to a 3 year/$21.75M deal. It comes with $13M guaranteed, per Mike Garafolo.
Hurst had a solid year, going for 414 yards and 2 TD’s in the regular season, as a complementary offensive piece for the Bengals.
Though he seemed to gel nicely with the offence, his departure was always a real possibility. With how he played, a raise was likely coming his way, and the Bengals likely didn’t want to commit too much money, or give a 3 year contract with guaranteed money to a TE who is approaching 30 years old.
The draft class is deep at TE, and there are rumblings that the Bengals will be looking to take advantage of it. A signing at some point in free agency is also likely.
