You don’t often expect big cuts made this far into free agency. Usually, teams do the right thing and let go of players at or before the opening of free agency so that player has a better chance of catching on somewhere. It’s the classy thing to do. Then there are the Bengals, who today, two weeks since the start of the free-agent negotiating period, released starting cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick.
The longtime Bengals corner posted a goodbye on Instagram and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed the team has told him he has been released.
#Bengals CB Dre Kirkpatrick said goodbye to teammates on Instagram, and the team has informed him of his release. A quality starting CB on the market. pic.twitter.com/x3E0XPyXXu
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 31, 2020
The past two seasons for Kirkpatrick have not been great. He has zero interceptions and just 13 pass breakups in 19 starts since the start of the 2018 season. But prior to that, he routinely put up great numbers.
So, what happened between 2017 and 2018 that could have caused the former 17th overall pick to fall off? Well, the injury was one thing. Both of his past two seasons were cut short by a trip to injured reserve. His 2018 season ended after Week 15 with a shoulder injury and 2019 ended after week six with a knee injury.
Another change following the 2017 season was defensive coordinator Paul Guenther left to join the Raiders.
In the previous three seasons under Guenther, Kirkpatrick had 4 interceptions and 40 pass breakups as a full-time starter. Easily the best seasons of his eight-year career.
His 2015 season he had a career-high 16 pass breakups. In 2016 he had a career-high three interceptions. Those numbers earned him a new five-year, $52 million contract. Next year he was due to make $11.1 million with just $2.8 million in dead money should he be released or traded. That put him at a high risk of being a cap casualty, especially with his injuries the past two seasons.
We’ve seen quite a few defensive players from the Bengals come to the Raiders in recent years to join Guenther. Likewise, since the team brought on Rod Marinelli as defensive line coach, a lot of Cowboys players have come on board. Add that the Raiders still have a need at cornerback and Kirkpatrick is likely firmly on their radar.
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