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It’s not outlandish to think the Cincinnati Bengals should get aggressive before the trade deadline given the big holes in the trenches on both sides of the football.
One possible target on the defensive side? How about New York Jets lineman Quinnen Williams?
Williams, the No. 3 pick in the 2019 draft, has been floated as potentially available for the right price, according to The Athletic’s Connor Hughes:
“The question: Will Douglas wait? Williams is the one potentially-expendable player on the roster with next-level value. The Jets might be able to get back a second-round pick for him. If that offer comes up, could Douglas, knowing the Jets are still years away, turn it down? Probably not. To this point, no one has called the Jets about Williams with anything serious.”
Williams hasn’t lived up to his potential, but darn if it isn’t interesting to think about him on the same line as guys like Geno Atkins and D.J. Reader instead of one of the worst-run organizations in sports.
Which is the point here — if a badly-run team like the Jets wants to sell off talent picked by a former general manager as it heads toward changing head coaches, the Bengals should be more than willing to play ball.
Williams, after all, is a top-three pick sitting on a solid 71.2 PFF grade so far this year. He’s got two more affordable years on his rookie deal, plus the fifth-year option.
Money-wise, the Bengals would have to trim some fat along the front seven, but it sure seems like Carlos Dunlap is on his way out and Atkins might not be around long, either. And draft pick-wise, a second-round pick isn’t the worst thing they could give up — they’ve been mostly very good at drafting in the second round, but a top-three talent is a top-three talent. Also, the Bengals are bad enough that perhaps they could talk the Jets into an early third-rounder that essentially functions as a second.
Either way, Williams is a good example of the sort of move the Bengals should be looking to make at the deadline besides selling off older pieces like Dunlap. If the Jets are in a hurry to offload talent while remaking the roster, the Bengals should be more than happy to work something out and bolster a problem area for the long-term.