| 29 August 2010
To save a $3 million roster bonus that the Bengals would've had to pay Antonio Bryant in two weeks, they decided on Sunday to sever ties with the wide receiver who never fully recovered from knee surgery.
The Bengals are out the full $7 million that was guaranteed as part of Bryant's signing bonus, but they felt it was best to cut their losses now and not make it a $10 million mistake.
The real bottom line here (not that saving $3 million should ever be discounted when we speaking of Mike Brown) is the Bengals have plenty of wide receivers and no longer have a burning need for Bryant like they did when he was signed.
Terrell Owens might end up being just be a one-year option, but he sure looks like a damn good one. And getting him at an extreme bargain (base salary of $2 million) helps balance out the money the Bengals pissed away when they inked Bryant. Owens is going to be a very good No. 2 opposite Chad Ochocinco and is going to provide exactly what the Bengals wanted when they targeted Bryant: a tough guy who can go over the middle, a guy with enough speed to occasionally go deep and a guy to take the pressure off Ochocinco in general. (You know, what Laveranues Coles was unable to do last year.)
Also, the emergence of rookie third-round pick Jordan Shipley also made Bryant expendable. The Bengals could've rolled the dice, paid Bryant an extra $3 million and HOPED he would be back and healthy this season, but when WR is not a concern, why even bother? Usually I rip Brown and the entire front office for being a legion of penny-pinching clowns who would sacrifice winning for making an extra few dollars any day. However, this time, I think they made the right call.
As for the doctors who gave Bryant his physical in Cincinnati a few months ago and deemed him healthy ... not so much. Are we sure those guys have medical degrees and are licensed to practice? Amazing that Bryant was cleared by the Bengals' medical staff and he wasn't able to as much play in a single preseason game.
Well, adios, Antonio. And you'll always have the distinction of owning the shortest stint in Bengals' history.
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