From the sounds of it, the Cincinnati Bengals want to shake free of their conservative shell and act as buyers at the NFL trade deadline.
But they probably don’t want to go too wild.
Wild, would be like trading with the Tennessee Titans for former second-round pick and pass-rusher Harold Landry, as proposed by Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano and Matt Verderame:
Cincinnati needs to fix its defense, which ranks near the bottom in myriad areas. While Trey Hendrickson is one of the league’s top pass rushers, the rest of the front has been underwhelming with middling performances from Sheldon Rankins and Sam Hubbard. Acquiring Landry from Tennessee gives the Bengals a 28-year-old edge rusher who doesn’t have any guaranteed money on his deal after 2024.
Coughing up a fourth-round pick, as proposed here, is probably something the Bengals would be willing to do if it means adding a pass-rusher who can help the defense.
But Landry carries a $23.8 million cap hit this season. And while there’s an out built into his contract after the season, he’s on the books for a little more than $24 million cap hits in 2025 and 2026. So, if he were to be the perfect fit, the Bengals would be paying up pretty dearly beyond this year.
This year, Landry has just four sacks after putting up 22.5 over the prior two seasons, too. He’d be effective in the same defense as Trey Hendrickson, of course, but it’s worth noting.
Either way, the theme here is right. The Bengals should be on the hunt for pass-rushing and cornerback help. Something like a mid-round draft pick in exchange for help now and in future seasons — not a rental — would be the ideal balance.
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