Should the Bengals cut or keep C.J. Uzomah?

The Cincinnati Bengals are primed to have a very active offseason, and that may include several notable names becoming cap casualties.

One prime candidate is veteran tight end C.J. Uzomah, who’s never had more than 439 receiving yards or three touchdowns in a season, yet is set to have a cap hit of $6,158,334 in 2021. If released, the Bengals would be on the hook for $1,083,334 in dead cap but save $5,075,000.

When healthy, Uzomah has been a decent option at tight end, but not one worthy of an annual salary of $6+ million. And now that he’s suffered a significant leg injury, there’s reason to believe he’ll be even less effective moving forward, making him a prime cap casualty candidate.

I think this could be a similar situation to what happened with Dre Kirkpatrick last offseason. The Bengals kept him during the first wave of free agency. But once they signed Trae Waynes and Makenzie Alexander, Kirkpatrick became more expendable and was eventually cut.

I don’t see the Bengals cutting Uzomah unless they sign another tight end capable of making a positive impact on the offense. Drew Sample is still too unproven to rely on as a full-time starter, and there’s no behind him to feel good about.

Still, cutting Uzomah without having a capable replacement could be necessary to re-sign guys like Carl Lawson and William Jackson while also pursuing offensive lineman.

In a perfect world, the Bengals and Uzomah find a way to restructure his contract and either cut his pay down for 2021, or perhaps even give him a small extension that spreads his pay out more so he’s making less annually.

But if it comes down to it, should the Bengals part ways with Uzomah, or should he stick around for at least one more season?

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