The Cincinnati Bengals didn't land any players on waivers following NFL roster cuts.
That doesn't mean they didn't try.
Nearly 86% (24 of 28) of the players that were claimed had a higher spot in the waiver order than the Bengals. Cincinnati was 17th in waiver priority.
There were only four players were claimed by teams with lower priority than the Bengals: defensive tackle Tyler Lacy, defensive end Tyrus Wheat, center Willie Lampkin and Derion Kendrick.
The Bengals are in the process of finalizing their practice squad. None of the players that Cincinnati waived were claimed by other teams.
That means that they should be bringing back plenty of familiar faces on the practice squad. It also means that they could look to revisit contract talks with a veteran like Dalton Risner.
Risner visited Cincinnati last week and worked out with the team, but left town without a deal. He's still unsigned and hasn't taken any other visits at this point.
With Cordell Volson (shoulder) out for the season, Cincinnati needs offensive line help. The Bengals haven't named a starting right guard.
"I wouldn't say ready to make any announcement there," head coach Zac Taylor said Tuesday. "Still feel good about where we're at. Jalen has only gotten better as camp has gone on. He's worked mostly at right guard here recently, so I think for right now that's been a great place for him. We'll just continue to assess where we're at through the week and maybe make declarations as the week gets by us."
The Bengals only kept eight offensive linemen on their 53-man roster. Now that they haven't gotten anyone on waivers, it's realistic to think that they'll pivot to free agency.
Of the 28 players claimed on waivers, 24 went to teams with a better spot in the waiver order than the Bengals.
— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) August 27, 2025
The 4 we know they did not put a claim in for (because they would have won them) were:
DT Tyler Lacy
DE Tyrus Wheat
C Willie Lampkin
CB Derion Kendrick
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