That’s a Hail Mary by the Cincinnati Bengals! Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor’s team has started undergoing major changes in their roster for 2025. After the season ended with a 9-8 record and no playoff appearance for the second-straight season, the Bengals aren’t taking the next year lightly. As the quarterback has returned for good, winning the Comeback Player of the Year award, Taylor’s team is entering into a new chapter. And guess what? It started off with ditching an injured player from their roster.

On February 21, 2025, the Bengals released their DT Sheldon Rankins. Last season, Rankins missed three games with a hamstring injury. He returned for Week 6 but wasn’t able to do much. In the next five games, the 30-year-old defensive tackle just recorded one sack and one quarterback hit in total. But what came next was another surprise!

Joe Burrow’s teammate again missed the final seven games of the 2024 regular season. Why? Well, this time, as per coach Zac Taylor, it was due to a viral illness. Now, as the offseason has begun and the Bengals released him, Sheldon Rankins has entered the free market. And guess what? They had a huge profit while doing so. It’s because, according to Over The Cap analyst Jason, “The #Bengals are now up to about $62M in salary cap space.”

As per OTC, cutting Sheldon Rankins saves the team $9.6 million in cap space and $10.5 million in cash. But there’s still a $2 million dead money hit from the contract he signed just last season—a two-year deal worth $24.5 million. So, that means, now, Joe Burrow’s team has around $62 million to work with for 2025. But here’s where things get tricky.

They’re expected to tag Tee Higgins again, which will cost a hefty $26.1 million. And then there’s Ja’Marr Chase. The junior WR is also up for a massive extension, one that could make him the highest-paid receiver in NFL history.

So, all in all, Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor’s team have the money, but how they spend it will shape their future. While his team’s walking a tightrope situation, the quarterback is pretty clear about the playoff mistakes and the future.

Joe Burrow knows what’s going wrong with the team!

Joe Burrow has finally cracked the Super Bowl code for his team. During an interview this week, the Comeback Player of the Year was asked about his stance on making it to the SB if they had reached the playoffs. To which, the QB quipped, “I think we would have had a good chance. But would have, could have, should have, that’s not where we were. That’s not the position that we put ourselves in. We needed help at the end.”

Joe Burrow, who finished the season with 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns, led his team through a difficult situation at the end in a dependable manner. No doubt, the Bengals fought till the end, but as is said, sometimes fate isn’t on your side. They handled the business in Week 18 by taking down the Steelers. But other results didn’t go their way.

The Dolphins did them a favor by losing to the Jets. But the Broncos? They crushed any last hope, shutting out the No.1 Chiefs, who rested their starters. Due to this, Joe Burrow and the team’s playoff hopes were dashed. The QB knew they had a chance. And if they had made it, Burrow believes they could have gone all the way. But that didn’t happen. Now finally he knows what to do—“I don’t think focusing on the end goal is the best way to look at things at this point in my career. If you just focus on what, controlling what you can control day to day, focus on getting better, the rest is going to take care of itself.”

So, Joe Burrow will do all he can to get back to the ultimate stage. His team will do whatever it takes to put themselves in a better position next year. Cue the fireworks.