After being released by the Washington Commanders, defensive end KJ Henry did not go without a team for long.
The 2023 fifth-round draft pick was claimed by the Cincinnati Bengals and added to their 53-man roster on Wednesday, a day after he was cut loose by the new regime in Washington.
Henry was one of the surprise cuts before the deadline for the initial rosters at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The 25-year-old appeared in 10 games during his rookie year and contributed 19 tackles (14 solo) with 1.5 sacks, two QB hits, four tackles for loss and two passes defended.
Washington did not claim any player off of waivers.
He was one of three members of the 2023 Commanders draft class – the final of four under former head coach and top football decision-maker Ron Rivera – to be released on Tuesday, including third-round center Ricky Stromberg (waived with an injury designation), fourth-round pick offensive lineman Braeden Daniels, sixth-round pick running back Chris Rodroguez Jr. and seventh-round pick defensive end Andre Jones.
Tight end Cole Turner, a fifth-round pick in 2022, was also released after the team reportedly failed to trade him.
In all, just 12 of the 33 draft picks made by Rivera were still on the team's roster Wednesday, and just under 40 percent of the players on the roster were with the team a season ago.
And of the 78 players the organization drafted between 2015 and 2023, only 16 made the initial 53-man roster.