Pooka Williams among 3 Bengals waived

Following their first preseason game, the Cincinnati Bengals have waived cornerback Abu Daramy-Swaray, running back Shermari Jones and wide receiver Pooka Williams Jr.

Daramy-Swaray and Jones are both rookies who signed with the Bengals as free agents in May. Williams, a first-year player, originally was a college free agent signee of the Bengals in 2021.

Williams is the most notable player to be waived. As a rookie out of Kansas last year, he impressed enough to earn a spot on the practice squad. The former Jayhawk was even called up to the gameday roster in Week 13 vs. the Los Angeles Chargers and returned three kickoffs for 52 yards.

However, Williams hasn’t been able to take the next step in his development thus far. He muffed his only chance to return a punt in the fourth quarter of Friday’s preseason loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Cincinnati’s roster now stands at 87 players entering Week 2 of the preseason.