The Cincinnati Bengals made an in-season trade for just the second time in the last 50 years. Getting to 4-5 gave them some hope for the playoffs and with Zack Moss getting injured, the Bengals had a need for another running back behind Chase Brown. They filled that need by acquiring Khalil Herbert from the Chicago Bears.
Where the Bengals didn’t make a move that some thought they would was along the defensive line, particularly pass rush. Trey Hendrickson leads the league with 11 sacks. The flip side is no other Bengal has more than two. As a result, the Bengals are tied for the fifth-fewest sacks in the league with 17. For context, the Giants lead the league with 35.
Fortunately for the Bengals, future help can come via the draft. Bleacher Report recently did a new mock draft for 2025 following the trade deadline and gave the Bengals some defensive front help. At pick No. 13, the Bengals took Walter Nolen, defensive lineman from Ole Miss.
Here’s what the B/R Scouting Department wrote about the pick:
B.J. Hill has played well. Otherwise, the rest of Cincinnati’s defensive tackles are marginal. Additionally, fellow starter Sheldon Rankins is set to be a free agent after this season.
Another talented body for the middle of the defense could go a long way toward making this group far more effective. Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen may be the nation’s most explosive defensive tackle. Going into this past weekend, the Texas A&M transfer ranked among college football’s best defensive tackles in pass-rush win rate against true pass sets.
With Nolen, Hill, Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard, Cincinnati would be able to win one-on-one matchups across the entire defensive front and make like far more difficult on opposing quarterbacks when the Bengals establish a lead.
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