At one point in early August the Cincinnati Bengals were $41 million under the salary cap, well above any of the league's other 31 teams. The Jacksonville Jaguars came in second with over $34 million over the cap, with the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers rounding out the top five. Soon after early free agency signings were applied days later, that figure fell to $27.1 million under the cap (fifth in the NFL). And by late August the team's salary cap increased to $27.7 million and then $29 million a couple of weeks later, ranked fourth in the NFL by August 29, 2011.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Cincinnati Bengals are currently $17.5 million under the salary cap, ninth in the NFL behind the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears. Here's a chronological update, based on known reports of the team's number under the salary cap and where they ranked in the NFL (1st being the most under the cap).
| Date | Under The Cap | Ranked |
| August 2, 2011 | $41 million | 1st |
| August 4, 2011 | $27.1 million | 5th |
| August 16, 2011 | $27.7 million | 4th |
| August 29, 2011 | $29 million | 3rd |
| October 4, 2011 | $17.5 million | 9th |