Aside from injuries to key contributors, the 2025 Cincinnati Bengals struggled to win games primarily because of their defense.
The Bengals had their worst record since the 2020 season, despite having a top-10 offense. That occurred as Cincinnati allowed the third-most points in the NFL last season.
Now, one of the members of last season’s defense, who is now a member of an AFC contender, is being seen as a potential cut candidate ahead of the season.
Former Cincinnati Bengals Safety Predicted to be Released
After spending two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, Geno Stone left in free agency as he signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Buffalo Bills.
However, the safety who started 34 games for the Bengals appears to be on the outside looking in of Buffalo’s roster. NFL.com senior writer Kevin Patra named Stone as a potential cut candidate, as he wrote: “Stone has struggled during camp and was outplayed in Saturday’s preseason game by Damar Hamlin, who gets my nod in the safety room.”
Meanwhile, Randy Gurzi of Buffalo Bills on SI left Stone off his 53-man roster prediction, as he went with Damar Hamlin instead. Gurzi wrote: “Damar Hamlin gave up a big play, but also had an interception this weekend. He edges out Geno Stone, although that could go either way. In the end, the coaching staff seems higher on Hamlin.”
Stone failing to land a job with the Buffalo Bills should likely come as no surprise to Bengals fans who saw him struggle during the past two seasons.
Geno Stone’s Bengals Tenure
Bengals on SI’s Russell Heltman wrote of Stone’s performance with Cincinnati over the past two seasons: “The veteran (Stone) was one of the poorest performers on the team over the past two years and a big reason why the Bengals ranked last in yards per play last season. He posted 53.1 and 54.3 Pro Football Focus grades in 2024 and 2025. Stone tallied six interceptions and 10 pass breakups combined the last two seasons, after posting seven picks and nine PBU’s alone in 2023.”
Meanwhile, regarding Stone’s future if he’s indeed released, StripeHype’s Glenn Adams wrote: “If the Bills release Stone, it will not cost them very much. It would save Buffalo $1 million in cap space while incurring only a $187,500 dead money penalty.
It was worth it for the Bills to take a shot on Stone. But in the end, like in Cincinnati, the juice, no matter how little effort it took, may not be worth the squeeze.
If the Bills part ways with the veteran safety, he will likely catch on with another team fairly quickly. Teams will judge him on his time with the Baltimore Ravens, when they were a top-10 defense.
It will be easy for organizations to dismiss Stone’s time with the Bengals, blaming the situation and claiming his shortcomings stemmed from Cincinnati’s defensive dysfunction rather than his disappointing on-field play.
Furthermore, it will not be cap-prohibitive to pick up his million-dollar contract.
Also, other organizations will call him a ball-hawking safety thanks to his six non-consequential interceptions over the past two seasons.”
Prior to joining the Bills, Stone had totaled over $16 million in career earnings, according to Spotrac.
Former Bengals $16 Million Talent Predicted to Be Released