Cincinnati Bengals Mock Offseason: Building the Roster for 2025
It’s back.
Welcome to Year 5 of the Cincinnati Bengals’ mock offseason exercise.
Every team has its own ideas on how to fix the roster for both short- and long-term success. A mix of free agency, draft picks, cap cuts, extensions, trades, and bargain signings can lead to numerous paths for the opening-day team.
This piece doesn’t aim to predict the Bengals’ future moves, propose ideal choices, or predict how events will unfold. Instead, it sets the stage for all the possibilities and lets you engage in your own roster-building exercise.
GO DEEPER
Bengals cap cuts: How many veterans will Cincinnati cut loose?
This is a choose-your-own-adventure approach to roster building. In the past three years, the final moves in this spreadsheet were within $4 million of the estimated cap number—demonstrating its accuracy.
This is a proven template, and we invite you to try it yourself. Use the dropdown menus to assign players to positions, make cuts, add free agents, insert draft picks, extend contracts, and fill the top 32 players. The cap will adjust automatically with each decision.
The draft picks are based on Dane Brugler’s two-round mock draft. Any player outside the top 14 in the first round, outside the top 40 in the second round, or not listed qualifies for later rounds.
For a clearer experience, read along with the analysis provided in this piece as you manipulate the spreadsheet.
Feel proud or defeated after completing your roster? Share your results via X (@pauldehnerjr), Threads or BlueSky.
The Challenge of the Bengals’ Budget
The true Bengals spend is set at $32 million this year, after subtracting about $10-15 million from the projected cap space. This exercise aims to reflect real-world financial constraints.
The salary cap for 2025 is projected to be $272 million, according to Over The Cap. Cincinnati’s effective cap space is estimated at $44 million, ranking them eighth in the NFL.
However, the Bengals subtract around $3.5 million for minimum salaries to fill the roster, leaving a true spend of approximately $32 million.
Historical data supports this approach. In 2022, their cap hits were just $2 million shy of the estimated number. In 2023, they were $2 million over due to Joe Burrow’s extension. In 2024, they were $4 million short, with Ja’Marr Chase’s extension falling short.
For context, here are previous years’ true spend numbers:
- 2021: $29 million
- 2022: $37 million
- 2023: $25 million
- 2024: $55 million
Strategic Cuts
Several key positions are set, with starters locked in place. Potential cap casualties are few, and meaningful cuts could save significant cap room.
The stipulation for an option to cut is a move that would save at least $3 million against the cap and take on less than $5 million in dead money.
Making all potential cuts could add $50.2 million to the Bengals’ cap space, though they are unlikely to make all moves. A minimum of $30 million in extra space seems inevitable.
Exploring Trades
A new feature in 2025 addresses the situations of Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson.
You can choose to trade Hendrickson, adding $16.2 million to cap space and acquiring an extra second-round pick. This might be a Bengals option if they prefer future assets over a potential extension.
Alternatively, you can extend Hendrickson, adding $3 million to cap space and offering him a chance to play out the last year of his current deal.
Higgins’ option is a tag-and-trade scenario, where he is dealt for an extra second-round pick without changing cap figures.
Extensions and the Big 3
Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins make up the Bengals’ Big 3, posing the largest variable in the 2025 offseason.
Burrow, known for willingness to restructure, may be key in balancing cap allocations while keeping the Big 3 together.
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Joe Burrow pushes Bengals’ front office regarding futures of Higgins, Chase
A Chase extension won’t affect his 2025 cap number ($21.8 million fifth-year option already included), but a large cash payout is immediate.
Higgins could be tagged and traded, as forcing him to play on the tag is unlikely.
Talent Acquisition
Free agents for re-signing are listed with valuations based on OTC, PFF, or estimation. Numbers skew lower than AAV projections due to the Bengals’ approach to cap hit.
Free agents are listed in the drop-down menu. No player is fully listed, but a representative for most levels of the pay scale is available.
Draft Strategies
The draft picks don’t directly affect cap figures, as they are already accounted for in the initial cap subtraction.
You get four rounds to shape the team, with picks at No. 17, No. 49, and No. 81. You can type names into the draft slots to assign players.
Following Dane Brugler’s two-round mock draft, you can’t choose players listed in the top 14 in the first round or top 40 in the second round. The rest are available.
Conclusion
This exercise highlights the financial decisions at the core of the Bengals’ offseason strategy.
Understanding the true limitations offers critical insights into the success and strategy of the front office.
Where can they save? How many players can they afford to sign? How many must they sacrifice? Answering these questions provides a real feel for the team’s priorities.
Notably, keeping the Big 3 truly sacrifices in 2025.
