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The Cincinnati Bengals sat on the majority of their assets one season ago at the NFL trade deadline, opting not to sell off talent in exchange for long-term assets during a 2-14 season.
This year, Cincinnati sits on a 1-4-1 record as the deadline nears and it sure sounds like it could be more of the same.
CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, for example, had an NFC source tell him that things are “unreasonable” on the Cincinnati front.
And that’s not too surprising given how the franchise has treated the idea of selling off players in the past.
Still, one would think the Bengals would be a little more likely to make moves at the deadline, acting as sellers. John Ross, after all, reportedly asked for a trade. Carlos Dunlap is notably unhappy in his role.
And broadly speaking, the Bengals have several notable trade candidates they could move. They’re mostly Marvin Lewis holdovers and while they might not return the best assets, they could help the front office clear some cap space.
Realistically, the Bengals might have to eat some contract money to offload some of the notable trade candidates. But eating cash now to save some later could be a good idea, as the Bengals need to find extension money for players like Jessie Bates — and keep in mind every little bit helps because nobody knows what the salary cap will look like next year after revenue losses.
Reasoning aside, early hints suggest the Bengals won’t act as sellers again despite once again looking like an obvious team others should call to make deals happen.