Bengals to release CB B.W. Webb, per report

In what appears to be an effort to save cap space after inking two massive free agent acquisitions yesterday, the Cincinnati Bengals are releasing cornerback B.W. Webb. ESPN’s Josina Anderson was the first to break the news.

Originally signed to a three-year, $10.5 million deal as an unrestricted free agent last year from the New York Giants, Webb played 834 snaps and started 12 games for the Bengals at both slot and boundary cornerback. He dealt with a forearm injury for most of the year which noticeably affected his play, but the end of the season saw him perform more consistently.

Cutting ties with Webb does save the Bengals about $3.6M in cap space. Webb was owed a roster bonus of $600K by the end of this week.

Many expected Dre Kirkpatrick to be the cornerback released for this purpose, as Kirkpatrick’s cap hit is about $6.5M more than Webb’s. The team could also be planning to trade Kirkpatrick before releasing him, which likely wasn’t an option for Webb. But Kirkpatrick isn’t going to start anymore after the team signed Trae Waynes to a three-year deal worth $42M. Webb at least had a shot at starting in the slot after Darqueze Dennard left for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Who fills that roll for the defense now?

This moves does give the Bengals, who still have Andy Dalton’s contract on the books, some room to breathe in terms of cap space, but it also signifies more change in the secondary. No position group for Cincinnati has seen more turnover in this young offseason. Webb might not be gone for too long though, as ESPN’s Ben Baby could see the Bengals re-signing Webb later this year.