Antonio Bryant
The Bengals have officially given up on their “major” free-agent acquisition.
Per the team’s official Twitter page, Cincinnati released wide receiver Antonio Bryant today. Bryant signed a four-year, $28 million deal in March and was expected to be a starter opposite Chad Ochocinco. That changed when a bad knee kept him sidelined for most of the offseason, and the writing was really on the wall when the team signed Terrell Owens last month.
Bryant, who spent the last three seasons with the Bucs, didn’t make it onto the field in each of the four preseason games.
Sort of ironic, isn’t it? When free-agency opened, many thought an Ochocinco-Owens union was coming, but the team opted to go with Bryant. Now, he’s cut and Owens is locked into the number two position on the depth chart.
Don’t despair for him, though. He’s already collected over $7 million dollars having never played one snap for the team. That’s not too bad of a parting gift.
In other news, the Bengals also announced today that safety Gibril Wilson was placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his season. Wilson has damaged ligaments in his left knee that require a complete rehabilitation.
