Waynes was released by the Bengals on Monday, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.
Waynes inked a three-year deal with the Bengals in March 2020 but was limited to five games across two seasons due to pectoral and hamstring injuries, so it's not a major surprise to see the team opting to move on. The 29-year-old last saw extended run with the Vikings in 2019 when he totaled 58 tackles (56 solo), one interception and two forced fumbles in 14 contests.
Waynes was returned from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.
The 29-year-old was placed on the COVID list Dec. 31, missing the Bengals' Week 17 win over the Chiefs. Waynes will be back in the secondary as the Bengals gear up to face the Browns on Sunday.
Waynes (illness) was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday.
Waynes is unlikely to play in Sunday's contest against the Chiefs after landing in the NFL's COVID-19 protocols. In his absence, Mike Hilton, Vernon Hargreaves and Tre Flowers are all candidates for increased snaps in the slot.
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Bengals' Trae Waynes: Activated off IR
Rotowire
Waynes (hamstring) has been activated off the Bengals' injured reserve.
Waynes was designated to return from IR by the Bengals prior to Week 14. He now has a little more than a week of practice under his belt and will return to action Sunday versus the Broncos. The 2015 first-round pick projects to start at cornerback.
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Bengals' Trae Waynes: Designated to return from IR
Rotowire
Waynes (hamstring) was designated to return from injured reserve Wednesday.
Waynes was sidelined for the first three weeks of the year with a hamstring injury and was able to briefly return to action before aggravating it again during Week 5's loss to the Packers. The 2015 first-round pick has been on injured reserve since, but his return to practice is a solid step in the right direction. He will now have a 21-day window to be added to the active roster, but if he isn't, he will revert back to injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
