Week 17 Capsule | Browns at Bengals

Like Dre Kirkpatrick's career in stripes, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor's phone call that ended it on Tuesday morning was rooted in mutual respect.

Starting cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, whose long and lean intensity helped fuel the Bengals best defenses of the previous decade, became the third first-rounder to leave the Bengals in less than two weeks Tuesday when they released him as head coach Zac Taylor continues to flip the roster.

Expanding the NFL postseason was addressed in the new NFL-NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement. Players and clubs both recognized that nothing energizes fans like the chance to see their team qualify for the playoffs and compete for the Super Bowl.

Cornerback Greg Mabin, a fourth-year player in 2020, joined the Bengals in September last season and went on to play in nine games, with one tackle and a pass defensed on defense and another tackle on special teams.