The Cincinnati Bengals released a former Super Bowl offensive lineman in guard, Alex Cappa, on Monday.
Cappa, 30, played in the 2020 Super Bowl for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he blocked for former quarterback Tom Brady. After four seasons with the Buccaneers, Cappa signed a four-year, $35 million deal with the Bengals in 2022. Cappa was a reliable starting guard for the Bengals with starts in all but one regular season game during his three-year stint with the team.
Cincinnati made the move to free up $8 million salary cap space with Cappa’s release. The Bengals now have $69.22 million in salary cap space for sixth in the league.
Cappa isn’t the first salary cap casualty by the Bengals this offseason. Cincinnati previously released defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins on Feb. 21 since he averaged $12.25 million annually, which freed up $9.61 million of cap space. Rankins, who has 30.5 career sacks, had a down year with the Bengals in 2024 amid just one sack in seven games.
Cappa, a 6-foot-6, 312-pound lineman, has enjoyed an otherwise successful career out of Division II Humboldt State. The Buccaneers selected the Dublin, California, native with the 94th pick during the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Cappa appeared in six games as a rookie with the Buccaneers in 2018 but he became a regular starter in year two with 13 starts in 2019. His starts increased to 16 games in 2020, and he has only missed one start since then.
A team looking for a starting guard could pick up Cappa in free agency; he could cost a bit since he made $8.75 million annually with the Bengals. However, his Pro Football Focus overall grade of 50.5 only put him at 110th of 135 guards around the league.
Teams that could be looking for a starting guard include the Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, and Seattle Seahawks. All four of the aforementioned teams were in the top 15 for sacks allowed last season, and the Chiefs’ issues were most prominently on display in the Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Kansas City notably has employed Cappa’s old teammates from the 2020 Buccaneers team before, which included offensive lineman Donovan Smith and backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
Ironically, the Bengals were 12th for most sacks allowed but the team has numerous needs besides offensive guard after missing the playoffs. The Bengals had a career year from quarterback Joe Burrow amid his 4,918 yards passing and 43 touchdowns but the team only went 9–8 amid defensive struggles in close losses.
Cincinnati lost seven of those games by a score apiece, and the Bengals gave up 26 or more points in seven of the eight losses. Only the Eagles won by more than 10 points over the Bengals, 37–17 on Oct. 13.
Cincinnati got the ball rolling on the defensive issues after the season with the firing of offensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. The Bengals hired former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden, who helped the Irish defense shine amid 15.5 points allowed per game on the way to a national title game appearance.
Cincinnati will look for defensive talent in the draft and free agency but the Bengals also have current players to consider re-signing. The biggest consideration goes to wide receiver Tee Higgins, who has made $21.81 million annually of late.
Higgins had 73 catches for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns as a key part to Burrow’s success. The sixth-year wideout out of Clemson could get the franchise tag again as he did in 2024 for $21.81 million.
Cincinnati also needs to consider fellow star wideout Ja’Marr Chase, who has a $21.81 million club option for the team on his rookie deal in 2025. Afterward, Chase can become a free agent in 2026. He had 127 catches for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, production the Bengals can ill afford to lose.
