The Cincinnati Bengals hit center Trey Hopkins with an extension Saturday, inking him for at least three more seasons after his strong ascent into a starting role.
Which leaves Billy Price twisting in the wind a bit.
After missing chunks of his rookie season with injuries and struggling when on the field, Price has done much of the same this year. The former first-round pick was most recently on the field at right guard to disastrous results.
Firmly out of the running at center, there is an outside chance the Bengals end up parting ways with Price in some fashion or another this offseason.
While he might have two affordable years left on his contract, Price was a high-profile pick by another coaching staff and hasn’t even come close to putting passable, consistent play on the field at any spot. The current coaching staff has a wide range of options when it comes to upgrading both guard spots flanking Hopkins, especially with Jonah Williams coming back to man left tackle.
And a potential Price departure doesn’t have to be a cut, though things could go that direction if he doesn’t improve on the field over the summer. But even a trade would offer minimal return at this point, with the maximum seemingly a late-round pick.
Hopkins overtaking Price wasn’t hard to see coming once a coaching staff that didn’t place such an emphasis on draft positioning and cost of investment into the equation arrived. Along those same lines now, it’s easy to see Price is on precariously thin ice this offseason.
