The Cincinnati Bengals made the big splash with Orlando Brown in free agency, yet that won’t put them up against the cap in a way that prevents them from making further moves.
While Brown got a four-year, $64.092 deal with a $31 million signing bonus, according to Spotrac, the cap hit in 2023 is really only $10.8 million.
And that’s only because that cap hit is only the seventh-highest cap hit on the Bengals next season so far.
Overall? The Bengals still have $20.4 million in free cap space.
That doesn’t include the signing of Cody Ford yet, but that isn’t expected to be a big chunk by any means.
Granted, keep in mind that a rookie draft class and injury money will remain set aside out of that chunk of cash, too. But it’s still enough for the team to add multiple players. That could mean help at safety, tight end and further offensive line additions.
Also, keep in mind the Bengals can still make cap-saving moves with the likes of La’el Collins and Joe Mixon to boost the number, too.
Don’t put it past the Bengals to spend right up to the cap, either — they’re being aggressive, to the point of outbidding two other teams for Brown.
