The Cincinnati Bengals decided to pass on the Josh Gordon sweepstakes during the waiver wire period.
A rolling stream of reports after the 4 p.m. ET mark didn’t rule out the Bengals, but the team indeed took a pass as Gordon wound up claimed by the Seattle Seahawks, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Gordon was released by the New England Patriots off injured reserve this week, a calculated move so contenders couldn’t get him as it subjected him to the waiver process.
The Bengals sat second in waiver priority behind the Miami Dolphins and we noted a claim might have made sense — if nothing else, claiming Gordon and letting him go this offseason would’ve netted the team a compensatory selection.
But ESPN’s Josina Anderson reported the Bengals weren’t interested due to the talent already on the roster:
Those Dolphins were eventually ruled out, as were a litany of other franchises. While the Bengals largely went unmentioned, they joined the ranks of 27 other teams willing to pass on Gordon.
