ESPN says Bengals could be ‘looming large’ in the Ezekiel Elliott market

Are the Bengals the favorites to land Ezekiel Elliott?

From the sounds of a new report, the Cincinnati Bengals could indeed be interested in free agent running back Ezekiel Elliott.

A day after word broke that the Bengals were one of Elliott’s preferred three destinations on the open market, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler went on “NFL Live” and said that in talks with people around the league, Cincinnati indeed seems like a player in that area of the open market.

“The Bengals could be looming large,” Fowlers said. “I’m told they’re looking to add a running back either in free agency or the draft, either to pair with Joe Mixon, or if they were to move on from Mixon, they could save nearly $8 million in cap space. But I do expect the Bengals to make a move at some point and Elliott would sort of play into their mold of wanting a power-option running game.”

The Bengals lost Samaje Perine to Denver in free agency and what they ultimately do with Joe Mixon remains unknown. On the field, Elliott would make sense in that rotational, pass-blocking Perine role. Connections throughout the organization thanks to Elliott’s days with Ohio State and the Dallas Cowboys could help the Bengals do plenty of due diligence on him.

Still, it’s impossible to say if the Bengals have a genuine interest here, especially after Zac Taylor’s comments on the matter. But it’s safe to presume the Bengals would at least discuss the idea and see if the fit and money is right.

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