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The Cincinnati Bengals may move one from one of their defensive starters

The Cincinnati Bengals have not been shy in revamping their defense this offseason. In free agency, they agreed to contracts worth over $125 million by signing Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook and Jonathan Allen. Additionally, with the team trading for three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence and then signing him to an extension, the Bengals now have the fourth-least cap space in the NFL.

Cincinnati entered the offseason among the top 10 teams in cap space, but after their offseason moves, they may need to cut ties with a player that started 17 games for them last season.

Cincinnati Bengals May Cut Ties With T.J. Slaton

In a recent article for Bengals on SI, Zach Pressnell said, “The Bengals could cut ties with one of their defensive linemen after the 2026 NFL Draft.”

Pressnell’s article was spurred by Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox naming Slaton as one of the players on the trade market. Knox wrote:

“The Cincinnati Bengals may not be actively looking to move defensive players after taking an uncharacteristically aggressive approach to building their defense this offseason. However, teams should see if Cincinnati is willing to move off of veteran T.J. Slaton.

Slaton is entering the final year of a two-year deal, and the Bengals could save $6.7 million by moving him. That’s a considerable amount for a player who might not see extensive playing time in 2026.

While Slaton started all 17 games for Cincinnati last year, that was before the Bengals signed Jonathan Allen and traded for Dexter Lawrence II. With B.J. Hill and 2024 second-round pick Kris Jenkins also in Cincinnati’s defensive-line rotation, Slaton is probably looking at a very reduced role.

The Bengals should be able to request a fairly decent return for Slaton, given the lack of blue-chip defensive linemen in this year’s draft. Teams that missed out on one should at least give the Bengals a call.”

Regarding the Bengals potentially getting a fifth-round pick for Slaton, Pressnell wrote:

“If the Bengals can land a mid-round pick, like a fifth-rounder, then a trade could make sense, but that may be unrealistic. It’s worth noting that the Bengals have kept him up to this point and he has a good relationship with defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery.”

Potential T.J. Slaton Trade

Trading Slaton makes sense on paper, as the defensive lineman will have a $9.1 million cap hit in the 2026 season. Additionally, his 2025 performance was not up to par as he had a 44.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 116th out of 134 qualified interior defensive linemen.

Despite this, BengalsWire’s Chris Roling believes a potential Slaton trade is unrealistic. Roling wrote:

“The offseason additions, plus the fact cutting Slaton would save the Bengals roughly $6.4 million, are certainly things to highlight. 

But recent Bengals history with injury woes and poor depth at this particular spot makes it seem unlikely. Slaton is a valuable member of the rotation as a run-stuffer and keeping everyone fresh and the rotation deep has been a major point of emphasis while trying to turn around the unit. Coaches have name-dropped him plenty around the draft for a reason.”