12 Cincinnati Bengals players who would be left unprotected if the NFL held another expansion draft

The Cincinnati Bengals are entirely focused on the 91 players currently on their roster, but what if they had to offer 12 of those players up for a brand new team? 

Welcome to the hypothetical NFL expansion draft.

The league hasn't had a new franchise since the inception of the Houston Texans in 2002, but the United Football League finding its footing creates a possible future in which a new expansion team could enter the picture. 

Let's say the league decides right now is the time for a 33rd club. How would the Bengals handle the ensuing expansion draft? A to Z Sports' Wendell Ferreira is taking on the task of building a mock franchise over the next few weeks, and he needs players to choose from all 32 franchises.

Luckily, every team has about 90 players at this moment. Here are the rules for our own expansion draft:

1. Each current NFL team has to leave 12 players unprotected.
2. ⁠Players with 0 or 1 accrued seasons are automatically protected and can't be on the list. Players with no-trade clauses can't be added either (Joe Burrow is the only Bengals player with a no-trade clause per spotrac).
3. ⁠If the player is taken, the expansion team will absorb both his future salaries and signing bonus prorations, so it can be a useful tool to unload veteran contracts. You can add on the unprotected list the worst possible players and/or some bad contracts, use strategy here.
4. ⁠The list is final, meaning that teams can't withdraw a player after another one has been selected.
5. ⁠The expansion team can get a maximum of two players from each NFL team, and a maximum of 40 players.

Who would the Bengals have available to be selected? 41 players to be exact, ranging from cornerstone pieces to roster hopefuls. 

• LS Cal Adomitis
• S Tycen Anderson
• S Jordan Battle
• RB Gary Brightwell
• RB Chase Brown
• OT Orlando Brown Jr.
• QB Jake Browning
• LB Oren Burks
• WR Ja'Marr Chase
• OT Devin Cochran
• CB Jalen Davis
• G Cody Ford
• TE Mike Gesicki
• LB Joe Giles-Harris
• DE Trey Hendrickson
• WR Tee Higgins
• DT B.J. Hill
• CB Dax Hill
• TE Tanner Hudson
• WR Andrei Iosivas
• CB DJ Ivey
• WR Charlie Jones
• C Ted Karras
• G Jaxson Kirkland
• K Evan McPherson
• RB Zack Moss
• DE Myles Murphy
• DE Joseph Ossai
• G Lucas Patrick
• RB Samaje Perine
• LB Germaine Pratt
• DE Cam Sample
• TE Drew Sample
• DT T.J. Slaton Jr. 
• S Geno Stone
• CB Cam Taylor-Britt
• DE Isaiah Thomas
• CB DJ Turner II
• G Cordell Volson
• LB Logan Wilson 
• CB Marco Wilson 

12 of these 41 players have to be left unprotected for Ferreira to parse through, but that doesn't mean he'll pick every single one. Here are the offensive and defensive players the Bengals would most likely leave unprotected. 

Bengals offensive players unprotected

• RB Gary Brightwell
• OT Devin Cochran
• TE Tanner Hudson
• WR Charlie Jones
• G Jaxson Kirkland
• G Cordell Volson
• QB Logan Woodside

Bengals defensive players unprotected

• CB Jalen Davis
• LB Joe Giles-Harris
• LB Germaine Pratt
• DE Isaiah Thomas
• CB Marco Wilson

The most notable name here is Pratt, who requested a trade earlier this offseason and is currently away from the team. Writing is all over the wall regarding his eventual release, but Cincinnati is clearly still holding out hope another team swoops in with an offer. 

Volson is another former starter who's still with the team. He recently took a pay cut and is in a battle to reclaim a starting gig along the offensive line. It wouldn't be ideal for the Bengals to lose him now, but after a rough year in which he was benched, he may be safe from getting drafted. 

Jones was one of the toughest decisions here since he's still only a third-year player with more to prove, but injuries over the last two years have limited his chances and therefore limited his exposure to other teams. He'd likely be safe from the draft as well. 

Will Ferreira end up selecting anyone from the Bengals? Make sure to come back next week to find out!