Joe Flacco was on fire on Thursday night, and the Bengals got back into the win column. Could the successful trade for Flacco and their playoff aspirations make them buyers as the November 4th NFL trade deadline approaches?
Here are some players they should consider targeting.
Defensive Ends
It is no secret that the Bengals desperately need to add a pass rusher opposite Trey Hendrickson.
There are a lot of edge defenders currently on the trade block, but they will not come cheap.
The Dolphins are rumored to be shopping both Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips.
Chubb has 4 sacks this season and had 11 in his last full season (2023). While there are definitely positives, he has a massive cap number for next season when he will turn 30, and those are not two things the Bengals like separately, much less together.
Phillips is younger (26) and playing on the club option this season. He only has 1 sack on the season and hasn’t had more than 7 since his rookie season.
New York Giants edge Kayvon Thibodeaux has 2.5 sacks this season and had 5.5 in 12 games a year ago. He is only 24 years old and in his last year of his rookie deal before his club option goes into effect for 2026.
Carl Granderson is 28 years old and is having an excellent year with 4.5 sacks. The Saints’ defensive end is under contract for two more years, but his cap number shoots up $12 million after this season. That still only puts him at $18 million, but that, combined with his age, could make this deal hard to swallow for management.
There is another option in New Orleans. Cameron Jordon currently has 2.5 sacks, putting the 36-year-old on pace for his most productive year since 2022. He is in the last year of his deal and is said to be considering retirement. Perhaps the Saints will do Hendrickson’s former teammate a solid and let him go chase one more championship in exchange for a late-round pick.
The Titans were the first team to ditch their head coach and might just start a fire sale on other assets. Arden Key has 1.5 sacks this season and had 6.5 in 2024. He is 29 and in the final year of his contract.
Best Move: Kayvon Thibodeaux for Mitchell Tinsley and 3rd Round Pick
Thibodeaux has two years left on his deal and is only 24 years old. If they can get him to produce like he did in 2023 with 11.5 sacks, this would be a huge move. The Giants need offensive weapons, and Tinsley’s preseason film may sweeten the pot just enough to get them to pull the trigger.
Best Value: Arden Key for a 6th Round pick
Key has never had crazy sack production, but has posted 6 sacks in 3 of the past four seasons. That would certainly help this group, and he would likely be comparatively cheap to acquire.
Interior Pass Rushers
The Bengals’ interior pass rush has been basically non-existent since they let Larry Ogunjobi walk all those years ago. Getting that back could go a long way towards making them legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Imagine adding Jeffery Simmons to this Bengals defensive front. Having the Tennessee Titans star defender in stripes alongside Hendrickson would instantly change this team. The 28-year-old Simmons already has 4.5 sacks this season. He is under contract for two more seasons with his number climbing to $23 million for his age 30 year. Let’s face it. That isn’t that bad by current standards. (Chubb, mentioned above, will have a $31 million cap hit next season.)
Of course, Simmons is nearing the dreaded age 30, so giving up draft capital that could be used on a younger and cheaper prospect is a jagged little pill.
On the other end of the spectrum is 38-year-old Calais Campbell. Currently, with the Arizona Cardinals, Campbell is on a cheap one-year deal.
Let’s go back to the bayou for a minute and talk about Bryan Bresee. The Saints still need a quarterback and will likely need draft capital to get the guy they want. So maybe they will part with a young talent like Bresee, who has only gotten to the quarterback once this season after producing 7.5 sacks a year ago. Bresee has another year left on his rookie deal, plus a club option year.
Dream Move: Jefferey Simmons for a 1st Round Pick, Cam Taylor-Britt
This would be a true all-in move that would revitalize their defense. It gives them the ability to win now with a second star pass-rusher and protects them in case Hendrickson is gone in 2026. He will cost a first round pick and something else. Cam Taylor-Britt seems like a nice gamble with upside for them.
Best Value: Calais Campbell for a 6th Round Pick
It probably wouldn’t take much for the Cardinals, who look to be out of contention very soon, to part with his services, as long as it was something they could have for the future, like a late pick.
Cornerback
When your future Hall of Fame wide receiver calls a player the best he’s faced, and that player is on the Titanic of Lake Erie and a rumored trade candidate, well, you should probably follow up on that. Teaming up Denzel Ward with DJ Turner with Dax Hill in the slot would make this secondary formidable, but it won’t be cheap. In addition to the trade compensation, the 28-year-old Ward has massive financial compensation coming his way over the next two seasons. I just can’t see them giving up a first round pick to pay him $60 dollars over the next two seasons.
A better option could be Riq Woolen. As a rookie, he led the league in interceptions and went to the Pro Bowl, but that was then and this is now. Playing on the last year of his rookie deal, the 26-year-old is considered unlikely to return to the Seahawks after this season.
Another option would be Alontae Taylor from New Orleans. He is also 26 and in his final year of his rookie deal. He has experience at slot and at outside cornerback and has been pretty solid for the Saints during his tenure. He would be an excellent addition to the Bengals’ defensive backfield.
Best Move: Alontae Taylor for a 5th Round Pick
The Saints are in rebuild mode and might lose Taylor in free agency anyway. Taylor is a versatile and dependable player who may not set the world on fire, but will bring consistency to the Bengals’ secondary.
Best Value: Tarique Woolen for Cam-Taylor Britt straight up
Woolen had some good moments early in his career, but he has fallen out of favor in Seattle. Sound familiar? This trade would give both a fresh start.
Safety
The safety market is deep, if not particularly impressive. Those of you hoping to find an instant starter here may be out of luck, but the Bengals could certainly use depth and competition at the position.
There are some big names like New England’s Kyle Duggar and New Orleans’s Justin Reid, but neither has been particularly impressive as of late.
The other experienced starters to consider are San Francisco’s Jason Pinnock. Tennessee’s Quandre Diggs, and Tony Adams from the New York Jets.
Best Move/Value: Tony Adams for a 7th Round pick
The best option in a weak pool may be Tony Adams. The Jets benched the 26-year-old after two seasons as their primary starter at free safety. Adams has the speed and range that the Bengals currently lack at the position. He probably won’t be a plug-n-play starter, but he will at least give them a challenge to their current starters and depth in case of poor play or injury.
Linebacker
The Bengals have two young linebackers whom they like, but the learning curve is steep, and Logan Wilson is not the player he used to be.
There is one player who stands out as a potential trade target to help them immediately.
Demario Davis
The Saints linebacker played for current Bengals linebackers coach Mike Hodges for 6 seasons, being named an All-Pro in five of them. Now in his 14th NFL season, Davis has over 200 career starts and went to the Pro Bowl as recently as 2023. At 36, he has not slowed down. He has 51 tackles on the season and a very low cap number.
Davis is in the last year of his deal and, at his age, is unlikely to return to a team that is rebuilding. The Bengals might be able to get him in the late rounds because the Saints could use all the picks that they can get their hands on.
Offensive Tackle
The Bengals have already had to use their depth on the interior and did not see a significant difference in their offensive line’s performance, but the potential drop-off if there were an injury at offensive tackle is frightening.
There are two players out there who the Bengals could probably get for a Day 3 pick who would drastically improve their depth at tackle.
Former first round pick Evan Neal never really caught on for the Giants. The 25-year-old has battled injury and inconsistency, only making 29 career starts. Still, he has the talent. He would not be a bag guy to have around in case of an emergency.
26-year-old Braxton Jones has made 44 career starts for the Bears but has been unceremoniously benched this season. One of these guys could be potential options if the Bengals want to boost their tackle depth.
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