7 months ago
6
Ben BabyJun 9, 2025, 01:24 PM ET
- Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the institution successful July 2019. Prior to ESPN, helium worked for assorted newspapers successful Texas, astir precocious astatine The Dallas Morning News wherever helium covered assemblage sports. He provides regular sum of the Bengals for ESPN.com, portion making appearances connected SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A autochthonal of Grapevine, Texas, helium graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's grade successful journalism. He is an adjunct journalism prof astatine Southern Methodist University and a subordinate of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
CINCINNATI - A longtime Cincinnati Bengals starting defender is looking for a caller nine for the upcoming season.
Cincinnati volition merchandise linebacker Germaine Pratt today, a root confirmed to ESPN. Pratt has been a starter successful each of the past six seasons and was an instrumental portion of the team's back-to-back AFC North titles and AFC title appearances successful 2021 and 2022.
NFL Network archetypal reported quality of Pratt's release.
Pratt, 29, was acceptable to participate the last twelvemonth of a three-year declaration hold helium signed successful 2023. With the release, the Bengals volition summation $5.9 cardinal successful headdress savings portion picking up $2.3 cardinal against the headdress for the upcoming season.
Pratt was 1 of the longest-tenured Bengals connected the roster. Pratt and choky extremity Drew Sample were the lone members of the team's 2019 draught people who were inactive with the club. A third-round prime retired of North Carolina State, Pratt started successful 88 of his 96 appearances with the Bengals.
The parting of ways was inevitable fixed however the offseason transpired. First, Pratt requested a commercialized pursuing the firing of antiaircraft coordinator Lou Anarumo, who was rapidly hired by the Indianapolis Colts for the aforesaid role. Then successful April, Cincinnati drafted 2 linebackers - South Carolina's Demetrius Knight Jr. and Clemson's Barrett Carter, successful the 2nd and 4th rounds, respectively.
Knight was instantly slotted arsenic a imaginable starting enactment successful spot of Pratt, who did not study to immoderate of the team's voluntary workouts.
"He's going to locomotion successful the doorway and combat for a mode to lend immediately," Bengals manager Zac Taylor said erstwhile Knight was drafted. "I'm fired up to ticker that happen."
Last season, Pratt led the squad with 143 full tackles. He besides had 2 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. However, arsenic a whole, the defence struggled and was the superior crushed Cincinnati missed the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive play and spoiled vocation years from backmost Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
Throughout his vocation with the Bengals, Pratt had 8 interceptions successful each competitions, including 1 of the astir pivotal plays successful franchise history. In the 2021 wild-card playoff crippled against the Las Vegas Raiders, Pratt had a goal-line interception successful a 26-19 triumph implicit the Raiders that sealed the team's archetypal playoff triumph successful 31 seasons.
