Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Jeff Gunter has decided to retire from the NFL, which leaves a huge opening for sixth-round rookie Cedric Johnson over the next two weeks.
Gunter’s retirement was a shocker of a news release from the team on Wednesday. The 2022 seventh-round pick was a success story who initially made the roster and managed to hang around — a season-ending injury to Cam Sample this summer made it seem like he would do so again.
Instead, the Bengals are already struggling for depth on the edge even without Gunter’s removal. The team wants to keep the likes of Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai healthy and fresh for the regular season.
That means Johnson will get a ton of reps in the remaining two preseason games and the rest of the training camp practices.
The Mississippi product has already flashed in camp, so continuing to trend the right direction and prove he can hold up against the run will be key to his roster chances.
That said, the Bengals still figure to add a free agent at some point, at least to soak up summer snaps before the regular season. But for Johnson, Gunter’s surprise departure bumps him even farther up the depth chart and under the spotlight as coaches think about final cuts.
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