While the Bengals are in Spain preparing for their game against the Atlanta Falcons, the NFL trade deadline conversation around Cincinnati has mostly centered on one idea: they could be buyers.
That makes sense. Joe Burrow’s team has injury issues that have opened up needs, and spots like linebacker and the secondary could use help. But even with those problems, Cincinnati still has a few players who could draw interest from other teams if the phone starts ringing.
One name that would naturally come up is QB Joe Flacco. That does not mean the Bengals are looking to move him.
Burrow and the rest of the locker room like having him around, and Flacco wanted to stay in Cincinnati, re-signing earlier than many expected last offseason when other opportunities may have been there. Still, it would be naive to think quarterback-needy teams aren’t checking in, or at least asking what it would take.
Everybody saw what Flacco did last year when he was forced into action the same week he arrived via trade.
DL Kris Jenkins is another player who could land on other teams’ radar. As a former second-round pick, his upside is still part of the appeal, even if his role has shrunk.
Cincinnati’s offseason additions of Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen to start ahead of TJ Slaton and BJ Hill left Jenkins battling for leftovers with seventh-round success story Landon Robinson. The Bengals still really like Howard Cross on the practice squad, too, which only adds to the sense that Jenkins could be expendable.
Any return would likely be modest, but he fits the mold of a player with traits that rebuilding teams might still want to take a shot on.
WR Dohnte Meyers has been one of the more fun surprises of the Bengals’ season, but that hasn’t stopped him from being mentioned as a possible trade piece. With Cincinnati getting healthier at receiver, other teams with bigger needs could start sniffing around the depth chart.
The Bengals also have rookie Colbie Young getting healthier, Mitch Tinsley back, and Noah Thomas, Jordan Moore and Ke’Shawn Williams on the practice squad, so there is some room to maneuver. A move would be extremely unlikely, but Meyers has definitely made a name for himself.
Then there’s DE Shemar Stewart, a player whose name keeps popping up in trade chatter even though the Bengals are not moving him. Reports have suggested other teams have considered him, but the reality is that he has zero trade value right now.
Contract issues when he arrived last year, multiple injuries, and more injuries this summer have kept him from getting traction. He was a healthy scratch a few weeks ago because he can’t get past depth players like Cedric Johnson, and the injury to rookie Cashius Howell, who is also ahead of him on the depth chart, might not even translate into meaningful snaps for Stewart.
At this point, Cincinnati wouldn’t consider dealing him, and even if it did, the return wouldn’t come close to matching the first-round investment.
In Other News...
Bengals Still Have One Problem Keeping Doubters Loud
The Bengals walked out of Week 8 with an overtime win over Tennessee, but the messiness around it did little to quiet the outside noise. Cincinnati survived multiple turnovers and another uneven day on defense, the kind of performance that has kept the conversation around this team focused less on the standings and more on whether it can ever put together a clean 60 minutes.
Joe Burrow and the offense still give Cincinnati a ceiling that keeps it in the national conversation, and the defense has enough talent to suggest better days are possible. Still, the perception problem lingers because the slow starts and first-half struggles keep showing up in the same places, leaving the Bengals with a win that mattered and a reputation issue they have not solved yet. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals May Have A Dalton Risner Problem They Didnt Expect
Dalton Risner has given the Bengals exactly what they hoped for when they brought him in as an interior offensive line answer. He has settled in well, drawn praise for his professionalism, and helped stabilize a unit that has needed dependable play inside, with his work showing up in both pass protection and the run game.
The tricky part for Cincinnati is that Risners value may be rising at the same time the team has more decisions looming on the offensive line. A player who arrived as a short-term fix can quickly turn into someone the Bengals need to keep, and his situation is now part of a broader offseason puzzle that could force the front office to choose which linemen it can afford to retain. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Land In Spain With A Defensive Health Watch Looming
The Bengals arrived in Spain with a little less certainty than they would like on the injury front, even after a needed win over the Tennessee Titans steadied the mood around the team. Zac Taylor said the group is still sorting through its health heading into the matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, and while Joe Burrow is healthy and ready to go, the practice plan is already being shaped with caution.
Taylor noted that some players will be limited in practice, though he did not get into specifics, leaving the weeks early injury picture a bit cloudy. DJ Turner and Cedric Johnson also remain in the mix for now, which at least gives Cincinnati some flexibility as it settles in overseas and turns its attention to a Falcons team waiting on the other side. [Read more 🡒]