The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t seen a big return on investment since the arrival of Sheldon Rankins this year.
Rankins arrived this past offseason on a two-year, $24.5 million contract and has appeared in just seven games and earned a 55.3 PFF grade in the process.
Now, analysts such as Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine have turned an eye to the future for the Bengals and floated Rankins as a cut candidate:
The Bengals let D.J. Reader leave in free agency and then signed Sheldon Rankins to a two-year, $24.5 million contract. That has turned out to be a major source of disappointment.
The 30-year-old simply doesn’t hold up at the point of attack the same way Reader did, and it’s having a ripple effect on their defensive line.
The Bengals parting ways with Rankins would save $9.5 million in cap space next offseason. It’s reasonable to think that option might be on the table given the wealth of money the franchise will need to pay Ja’Marr Chase and keep rebuilding the struggling defense.
Beyond the money side of things, both rookies Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson have shown serious flashes as long-term solutions in the middle. Letting them get more playing time and adding veteran and/or rookie depth next offseason might make sense.
That is, of course, unless Rankins turns things around. But he was the big new addition to a rotation that was meant to counteract the loss of DJ Reader and that simply hasn’t happened.
