The Cincinnati Bengals are still being talked about as a team with Super Bowl potential, even after last week’s ugly loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their roster has plenty of talent, and the offense remains the engine that drives everything Joe Burrow’s team does. This season, though, the defense is holding up its end of the bargain too, which only makes Cincinnati more dangerous.
Even with that kind of profile, the Bengals could still be a team to watch for a move in the coming weeks. The first real wave of trade speculation has already started to circle one of their veterans, and it centers on tight end Mike Gesicki.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox identified Gesicki as the Bengals’ most tradable player right now. Knox pointed to both his production and his contract situation in making the case.
“Tight end Mike Gesicki has proven that he can be a difference-making piece of the Cincinnati Bengals' offense. However, he hasn't filled that role consistently,” Knox wrote.
“In Week 1, for example, he caught five passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. However, he had just three catches between Weeks 2 and 3 and finished 2025 with 307 yards.
“Gesicki should be viewed as a viable trade chip by the Bengals. He's talented, but he's also 30 and will likely be a cap casualty in 2027.
The Bengals can save $8 million in 2027 cap space by releasing or trading Gesicki in the spring. They also have multiple other options at tight end in Drew Sample, Eric All Jr., Jack Endries, and Tanner Hudson.”
Gesicki remains Cincinnati’s top tight end, but the depth chart behind him gives the team some flexibility. Drew Sample, Jack Endries and Erick All Jr. are among the names the Bengals could lean on if they decided to move him.
There would also be no shortage of reasons for another team to pick up the phone. Gesicki has shown he can be a dependable target, and he can line up both inline and out wide in the Bengals’ offense. For a club in need of help at tight end, that kind of versatility can carry real appeal.
Still, a deal feels more like a possibility than a likely outcome right now. Gesicki is an important part of the offense and one of the team’s best red zone weapons, and the Bengals spent the offseason trying to build a roster good enough to compete. Trading away a key piece this early in the season would run against that approach, especially with so many other pass catchers already dealing with injuries.
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Rex Ryan recently put that familiar issue back in the spotlight, warning that a team built almost entirely around the pass can run into trouble if it never finds a steadier ground game. For Cincinnati, the concern is not whether Burrow can produce, but whether opponents will start selling out against the pass and force the Bengals to answer with a rushing attack that has not yet shown enough consistency. [Read more 🡒]
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Former Bengals Star Sounds Alarm On A Problem Burrow Can't Escape
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Houshmandzadeh also flagged trouble covering tight ends and noted Burrows two interceptions as costly plays in a season where every mistake seems to carry extra weight. With Miami and Baltimore next on the schedule, the Bengals are staring at a stretch that will test whether those issues can be cleaned up quickly or whether they keep following Burrow from week to week. [Read more 🡒]