As Week 8 approaches, the Bengals’ old personnel decisions are looking especially interesting in the trenches.
Cincinnati made a bold move by trading the 10th overall pick for Dexter Lawrence, and the early returns have been strong. He’s given the defense a disruptive edge and turned it into a more splashy unit, even if the group is still sorting through some growing pains with all the new faces.
That said, the move also shut the door on a possible reunion with D.J. Reader, who was the steady force in the middle for those Bengals teams that reached two straight AFC title games and Super Bowl LVI. It’s easy to lose track of that now, especially with Lawrence making such a quick impression, but Reader has been reminding everyone what kind of player he still is.
And according to PFF’s grades, Reader is the top-graded defensive tackle in the league heading into Week 8, with Lawrence right behind him at No. 2.
DJ Reader might be the perfect Dexter Lawrence replacement pic.twitter.com/tblgFI5SKC
- PFF (@PFF) October 27, 2026
There’s a real contrast in what each one brings. Lawrence is the better pass rusher, while Reader remains the cleaner answer against the run.
But age matters here too: Reader is 32, while Lawrence turns 29 next month. For Cincinnati, the bigger-picture call was to go with the younger player, and that still looks like the right decision.
Reader would have been a welcome return, but more as a short-term fix than a true long-term answer. And the Bengals have had a stubborn issue in the run game anyway. Even after Lawrence drew constant double teams, Cincinnati was still giving up five yards per carry before its strong run defense showing in Week 7 at Baltimore.
So while both players are making their case right now, the Bengals’ choice to commit to Lawrence instead of circling back to Reader feels like the smarter move for the long haul.
That Week 7 win over the Ravens also gave us another former Bengal worth checking in on: Trey Hendrickson.
Hendrickson wasn’t the reason Baltimore collapsed, but he also didn’t do enough to stop Joe Burrow and the Bengals from piling up 35 unanswered points in the second half. Afterward, Hendrickson also hinted that not everyone in the Ravens’ locker room was fully locked in, via Bobby Trosset on X/Twitter:
"Continuing to go out there and finishing the game was most important. I can't speak for everybody else, but there is a standard to the way we should prepare and nobody should be having these side conversations on the sideline, if there is any."
That only adds to the sense that Baltimore has some real leadership issues. Lamar Jackson brings the biggest name, but the energy around him has never exactly been straightforward. Derrick Henry isn’t the most vocal presence, and Marlon Humphrey has the personality, even if the production no longer matches it.
Hendrickson, for his part, was always a bit of an odd fit in Cincinnati in terms of personality. He was the kind of player who let his work do most of the talking, and there was a case for paying him better while he was there. The Bengals also didn’t seem eager to look beyond the roster for alternatives until this past offseason.
Now, though, it’s hard not to laugh at how his new situation has unfolded, especially with Jesse Minter in charge and the whole setup already looking shaky.
In Other News...
Bengals Fans May Need To Rethink The Jonathan Taylor Dream
The Colts latest roster reset has only added fuel to a familiar Bengals fan dream, with Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner already moved for mid-round draft picks and Jonathan Taylor suddenly sitting in the middle of the conversation. From Cincinnatis side, the appeal is obvious. A proven running back would be an easy fit for a team always trying to maximize its offensive options, and any opening in Indianapolis tends to get dissected quickly around the league.
But the price tag is where the idea starts to wobble. With the Bengals still mindful of their salary cap and the rest of the roster to consider, paying premium draft capital for a back is a tougher sell than it might look from the outside. Cincinnati has not been framed as the front-line destination here, which leaves the door open to other Colts names or a different running back path entirely if the market for Taylor keeps climbing. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Suddenly Face A Familiar Pressure Spot Against The Titans
A trip into Week 8 brings Cincinnati to a spot it has rarely occupied under Zac Taylor: a heavy favorite with the expectation not just to win, but to win comfortably. The Bengals are laying 10.5 points against Tennessee, a number that reflects the gap between the rosters and the pressure that comes with being asked to dominate from start to finish. For a team trying to stack wins in a season that still has room to define itself, the spread is its own kind of measuring stick.
The tricky part is that this kind of setup has not always been kind to Cincinnati. The Bengals have had a hard time cashing in as double-digit favorites over the years, and their recent history in those spots has not exactly inspired confidence even when the matchup looks favorable on paper. Taylor and Joe Burrow have generally handled the role of favorite well against the spread, but this one carries the kind of familiar pressure that can make a supposed mismatch feel a little less simple once the game starts. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Could Eye A Blockbuster Fix For Their Biggest Offensive Need
A big swing on the offensive side could be on the Bengals radar as the calendar turns toward the 2026 NFL trade deadline, with the idea centered on a veteran runner who still profiles as a difference-maker. Cincinnatis rushing attack has been a lingering concern, and the fit makes enough sense on paper to at least invite the conversation: a proven playmaker, a need in the backfield, and a team that has not always been shy about exploring ambitious roster fixes when the timing lines up.
The wrinkle is opportunity, since the Philadelphia side of the equation could face enough organizational strain to make a difficult decision more realistic than it might seem right now. For the Bengals, the attraction is obvious, because adding a runner of that caliber would immediately change how defenses have to prepare for the offense. But this is still a speculative exercise, and the real question is whether the cost, the contract, and the timing ever line up cleanly enough to turn an intriguing idea into an actual deadline move. [Read more 🡒]