Bengals Mailbag: Trade deadline expectations, guard conundrums, and other questions from Cincinnati fans
Cincinnati sits at 3-4 with many things to ponder.
NFL teams only get one bye week a season, but the 10-day wait from a Thursday night game to a regular Sunday afternoon contest the next week can feel like a mini-bye week. It’s a time for a slight reset, and for the Cincinnati Bengals, a chance to build off a needed win.
The Bengals are 3-4 and very much alive with Joe Flacco at the helm, somehow. That doesn’t mean the roster is perfect, and with the NFL trade deadline two weeks away, there’s the thought that a team hoping to contend could make another move.
Let’s answer that question and more in our latest mailbag.
Pressing questions from Bengals fans
“Do you expect Bengals to go out and trade for anyone? Even if you don’t think so, what are some realistic players you would want them to go after?” – @GovnaChief via X/Twitter
I really don’t unless another major injury happens within the next two weeks. Trading for Flacco was as big of a swing you could ever expect from this team, and it took another Joe Burrow injury and Jake Browning vastly underwhelming as his replacement to make it happen. I do think the trade signified how much they care about winning right now, and perhaps that speaks to how much pressure the coaching staff and personnel department is under to get results, but we’re talking about sacrificing draft capital here. That’s typically a non-starter outside of extreme circumstances.
Realistic possibilities include any players withering away or have been demoted on bad teams who could be acquired with late-round pick swaps or by trading away similar players. You never think of the B.J. Finneys or Khalil Herberts until the trade pops up on your feed.
“Can we PLEASE get some interior pass rush? Are they even looking at waivers and practice squads?” – @RenorvisJr via X/Twitter
Something I do think should be known is every team is always looking. Injuries and unexpected happenings are inevitable, which require quick pivots to replenish roster depth or the practice squad. Unfortunately, the help they need to rush the passer between the edges can’t really be found. Heck, they didn’t stop pursuing Jordan Jefferson for weeks until he was finally available earlier this month. He was a former fourth-round pick from last year’s draft. Is he going to provide salvation? Probably not.
Sometimes the real solutions to problems were only available in March and April. Cincinnati will always be looking, but barring a shocking trade, the defensive tackle room will be defined by the players who are already inside of it.
“Risner looks like he locked up LG. You think Patrick takes back RG or they keep going with Rivers?” – @JimmyGuappolo via X/Twitter
It actually doesn’t sound like Risner has the left guard spot locked up. Head coach Zac Taylor told reporters that Dylan Fairchild is still working back from his knee injury despite being active last week and Risner starting in his place. If Fairchild is healthy, he will probably go back to starting with Risner reprising his role as the first guard off the bench.
As for Patrick, I could see that change happening during a game if Rivers is struggling, but I think it said a lot when Risner was benched for the rookie and they’ve kept the fifth-round pick out there for weeks now. It seems like if the plan was to wait for Patrick to come back, then the veteran would simply hold down the fort. Putting in Rivers seemed intentional from a long-term perspective, and it may take an egregiously bad day to put a stop to that plan.
“Is Cam Taylor-Britt any kind of option to play in a safety position?” – @WEAPONIZEDboyz via X/Twitter
Maybe on his next team. I think he’s backing up cornerback until injuries put him back out there. There’s no shot I’d trust him to play a position he hasn’t repped since he was a college underclassman over Tycen Anderson. That should be the name we talk about if Geno Stone continues to struggle in coverage.
“Why does it feel like individually players (Demetrius Knight Jr., Barrett Carter, Dax Hill, Kris Jenkins Jr., Myles Murphy, Joseph Ossai, Jordan Battle, Geno Stone, etc. . .) are actually doing ok but overall the defense as a whole has been awful?” – @Jom112 via X/Twitter
I think it’s just flashes for most of them, and because there isn’t a specific unit performing above their pay grade at the moment, it’s hard for those flashes to net results. Sure, Carter plays fast and can tackle, but when Knight ends up having a bad day in that regard, what does it matter? Same thing with Stone and Battle. The latter can create another turnover, but if the former misses an angle in coverage, what are you left with?
Up front is where the real consistency needs to be found. Murphy is showing a bit more as a pass rusher, and Ossai needs to play well basically every week. If those guys and Jenkins in particular turn flashes into expected production, maybe this defense has a chance to be reliable week in and week out.
Cincinnati Bengals News
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Burrow has been out for a month.
