The Bengals tried buying low with defensive end Jamaal Anderson, but eventually, the price became too high.
The Bengals announced via Twitter they had released the former eighth overall pick in the 2007 Draft.
He never lived up to his draft status with the Falcons, who chose him in 2007, but was a serviceable-enough player for the Colts in 2011. He signed a two-year, $5.5 million deal with the Bengals last offseason, which seemed like a decent value at the time.
But he missed most of last season with a torn quadriceps, and was due to make a base salary of $2.5 million. Coupled with using a second-rounder on Margus Hunt this year, the Bengals simply didn’t need him.