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Bengals who could be playing final games with Cincinnati
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- Bengals who could be playing final games with Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Bengals have just two games left before the season comes to a close.
Those games won't have playoff implications after the season went off the rails in more ways than one. As such, there's a balancing act between wanting to win the remaining games and thinking about the future.
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Below, let's look ahead to the offseason to find a few players who could be playing their final games with the Bengals .
Trey Hendrickson
This is the big one, and sort of a bonus since Hendrickson is out injured. But it's impossible not to mention, too.
Is Hendrickson going to have a big market over the age of 30 after having a season derailed by injuries? The Bengals could use the franchise tag on him and get him back for roughly the same cost as this year. That might end up being the best option for both parties. But the market does weird things, so these might be the last few games he's officially a member of the team.
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Joseph Ossai
Ossai took something like a prove-it deal last year and has enjoyed a really nice season. There's reason to believe the free-agent market will see a 25-year-old pass-rusher really coming into his prime and give him a notable deal. The Bengals might be content to roll with Shemar Stewart and Myles Murphy .
BJ Hill
Hill just got a three-year extension with the Bengals this past offseason. But there's an out built into the contract after this year. He'll be 31 next year and the Bengals could save north of $12 million each year if they cut him. Much of this will hinge on what happens with the coaching staff (if anything) and how they attack free agency and the draft, but a cut wouldn't be a stunner.
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Notable others
Will outside additions like Fant, Risner and Flacco get bigger deals and go play elsewhere? The Bengals would surely love to have them back, but the price has to be right. With Stone, it might come down to how aggressive they get in upgrading safety. And Taylor-Britt seemed to blow his last chance, getting benched before injury.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals who could be playing final games with Cincinnati
