The Bengals missed their chance at the trade deadline, but they still have a path to patch a few holes before the stretch run.
Cincinnati is getting ready for a massive Sunday night matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with first place in the AFC North on the line. That game comes on the heels of a 6-2 start, built off the win over the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid.
Then the deadline came and went, and the Bengals didn’t make the kind of move that would have helped at their biggest spots of need. Duke Tobin and the front office stood pat while AFC rivals like the Jaguars and Bills made additions.
That leaves free agency as the next place to look, and there are still a few names worth kicking the tires on.
Bobby Wagner stands out as the easiest call. He’s still unsigned after becoming a free agent at the end of last season, following a two-year run with the Washington Commanders, and that alone makes him hard to ignore.
Linebacker has remained a problem for Cincinnati even with Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter showing improvement. The Bengals have had trouble covering tight ends in the middle of the field, and they’ve also given up too many rushing yards to opposing backs.
Wagner would bring more than just experience. He’d give them a proven run-stopper and a voice in the middle of a defense that could use one.
At safety, Quandre Diggs looks like the cleanest fit among the available options. The Bengals still need help there, and the missed-tackles issue keeps showing up in the secondary.
Diggs spent most of last season with the Titans before Seattle brought him back later in the year because of injuries in their defensive backfield. He then went on to win the Superbowl with his former team.
For a Cincinnati team chasing a championship, that kind of recent winning experience has value, even if he isn’t the sort of player who changes everything on his own.
The last name is Jaydon Blue, and the appeal is a little different. The Bengals’ rushing attack has been one of the worst in the league, and Chase Brown has struggled on the ground this season.
A free-agent running back won’t magically fix that, but Blue brings the kind of big-play juice that could still matter. He drew attention coming out of college because of his small frame and electric speed, but he never really got a real chance in the NFL, first in Dallas and then, more recently, in Philadelphia.
He’d be cheap to bring in, and if he popped for one huge run in a key late-season game, that alone could make the move worthwhile. He’s only 22, too, which means Cincinnati could be looking at a bargain long-term piece if it works out.
In Other News...
Bengals May Have Found A Late-Season Edge At The Perfect Time
The Bengals trip to Madrid seems to have landed at exactly the right moment, giving a late-season team that was already rolling a little extra fuel. Players and people around the organization have pointed to the international visit as a boost for bonding and chemistry, the kind of reset that can matter when a locker room is trying to carry momentum into the stretch run. With Cincinnati on a four-game winning streak, the timing could hardly be better as the focus shifts to a key meeting with the Steelers.
There is also a broader backdrop here that makes the moment feel bigger than one road trip. The Bengals have dealt with some external noise around front-office decision-making, including criticism tied to compensatory picks, while a called-off trade involving Arnold Ebiketie added another layer to the conversation. For a team trying to sharpen its edge in December, the question now is whether the chemistry from Madrid can translate into something more tangible when the games get tighter. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Have A Huge Chance Sunday Night But One Test Looms
Sunday night gives Cincinnati a chance to change the feel of its season in one swing, and the setup is about as good as it gets for a November spotlight game. The Bengals have looked more dangerous on offense since their Week 3 meeting with Pittsburgh, with the quarterback-wide receiver trio giving them a much steadier ceiling, while the defensive line has been better equipped to affect the game at the point of attack.
Still, the matchup is not without a real stress point. The Steelers can make life uncomfortable if Cincinnatis secondary is exposed, and that is the one area that could decide whether this becomes a statement win or just another missed opportunity in a crowded playoff race. With national TV attention and postseason positioning on the line, the Bengals know this is the kind of test that can sharpen the picture of where they really stand. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Are Staring At A Steelers Mismatch They Know Too Well
The Bengals are heading into another divisional meeting with a familiar problem to sort out, and it starts with how Pittsburgh plans to use Darnell Washington. Steelers offensive coordinator Brian Angelicho recently talked up the tight ends role, pointing to the matchup edges Washington brings with his size, strength and value in both the passing game and the run game.
For Cincinnati, the concern is less about one isolated player and more about a season-long issue that has shown up against tight ends. Washington has already emerged as a key part of the Steelers passing attack, and Pittsburgh media expect him to keep having an impact in this one, which leaves the Bengals facing a test they have not handled especially well so far. [Read more 🡒]