The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t end up trading offensive tackle Jonah Williams before or during the 2023 NFL draft, suggesting the former first-round pick would remain in town for one more season.
Now we have a little more insight into the situation, with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noting in a Q&A session that the Bengals aren’t actively seeking a trade, either:
Alex, they’re not. And if they weren’t going to do it before the draft, my feeling is they won’t do it at all. To me, there are teams (like, say, New England) that could really use him. But unless you’re talking about giving Cincinnati a second-round pick for Williams, it doesn’t make sense for the Bengals to move him, because if he plays well for them in the fall, they’ll get that year of service from him at a trouble spot (and insurance on La’el Collins working his way back from a torn ACL), and potentially a third- or fourth-round comp pick in 2025.
That’s not shocking in the wake of the draft. If the team wanted to move Williams, it would have made sense to do so before the draft or even during, once needy teams realized they missed on prospects who could address problems.
But now? That $12.6 dead cap hit on Williams’ fifth-year option isn’t that much when considering he might be their best bet — and potentially a high-quality one — at right tackle with La’el Collins unlikely to be ready by Week 1. The other options are only Cody Ford and Jackson Carman.
Which isn’t to say a deal won’t happen. Like Orlando Brown Jr. suddenly being available to them at all, which prompted all of this in the first place, a summer injury or other on another team could make a trade suddenly happen.
But for now, the Bengals aren’t actively shopping Williams.
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