CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bengals waived 18 players, placed two on reserve lists and released a cornerback Saturday to trim the roster down to 53 by a 4 p.m. deadline.
Linebacker Vontaze Burfict was placed on the reserve/suspended list; as expected, he'll be out the first three games for his history of illegal hits. The final straw was hitting Pittsburgh receiver Antonio Brown in the head during the playoffs last season.
The Bengals released cornerback Chykie Brown and placed defensive end Marcus Hardison on the reserve/injured list with a shoulder injury. The team also waived wide receiver Mario Alford (second-year player, West Virginia) from the reserve/injured list, with an injury settlement.
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The 18 waived players are:
- fullback Andrew Bonnet (rookie, North Dakota State)
- defensive end Ryan Brown (rookie, Mississippi State)
- halfback Tra Carson (rookie, Texas A&M)
- center Alex Cooper (rookie, Houston)
- defensive tackle David Dean (rookie, Virginia)
- offensive tackle Aaron Epps (rookie, Louisville)
- halfback Bronson Hill (first-year player, Eastern Michigan)
- cornerback Darius Hillary (rookie, Wisconsin)
- guard Trey Hopkins (second-year player, Texas)
- wide receiver Jake Kumerow (first-year player, Wisconsin-Whitewater)
- tight end Matt Lengel (first-year player, Eastern Kentucky)
- cornerback Tony McRae (rookie, North Carolina A&T)
- guard Alex Redmond (rookie, UCLA)
- wide receiver Alonzo Russell (rookie, Toledo)
- wide receiver Rashaun Simonise (rookie, Calgary)
- guard Trip Thurman (rookie, Florida)
- offensive tackle John Weidenaar (rookie, Montana State)
- quarterback Keith Wenning (first-year player, Ball State)
All 18 waived players will be eligible to be signed to an NFL practice squad if they clear waivers Sunday. The Bengals plan to announce a practice squad of up to 10 players Sunday.
The Bengals, 1-3 in the preseason, open their regular season Sept. 11 at the New York Jets.
