Could Bengals trade down with Broncos in 2021 NFL draft?

Could the Cincinnati Bengals find a trade-down target with the Denver Broncos?

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If the Cincinnati Bengals want to trade out of the fifth pick in the draft there are a few viable targets.

The Carolina Panthers at eight make some sense. Looking further down the board, even the New England Patriots at No. 15 seem to be a possible trade partner.

The Denver Broncos at No. 9 don’t get mentioned a ton because they already have a younger quarterback with Drew Lock.

But maybe it’s time we looked at that a little closer. Dan Patrick just name-dropped the Broncos as a team that wants to trade up and it makes some sense. Lock just struggled mightily with 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions last year.

Otherwise, the Broncos want to win now. The defense is built around Bradley Chubb-Von Miller-Justin Simmons and the offense has a strong cast of weapons highlighted by Melvin Gordon, Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and K.J. Hamler.

If the Bengals could talk the Broncos into coughing up a second-round selection, or maybe a third-rounder and some offensive line depth, a deal could make some sense. Dropping to nine could still see the Bengals landing one of the draft’s top offensive linemen, too.

If nothing else, the Broncos — like the Panthers and a host of others — are a team to keep a close eye on in the coming days and weeks.

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