The Cincinnati Bengals are expected to use at least one of their eight picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on a linebacker. What would it look like if they used two to acquire one?

Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano certainly has an idea.

Vacchiano proposes the Bengals trade their third-round pick and their first of two seventh-round picks to the Miami Dolphins for linebacker Jordyn Brooks.

It remains to be seen if they’ve done enough to boost their defensive line in the wake of Trey Hendrickson’s departure, but there’s no doubt the Bengals need help at linebacker regardless. The 28-year-old Brooks is a tackle machine, coming off an All-Pro season and heading into the last year of his contract. That last part is reason enough for the rebuilding Dolphins to trade him, especially if they could get the Bengals’ third-round pick, and a little more, in return.

Brooks is indeed coming off his first All-Pro season and doesn’t turn 29 until the middle of the upcoming season. He was a first-round pick in the 2020 draft, selected ahead of the three LBs Cincinnati picked in the same class.

Before we get into why this makes sense, let’s first establish why this would be unexpected.

Bengals would go against some major principles with proposed Jordyn Brooks trade

The Bengals do not shy away from trades. They made a significant one last year in acquiring quarterback Joe Flacco. Other notable players became Bengals in recent memory this way.

Why this trade stands out is Cincinnati would be giving up draft capital and receiving none in return.

The Flacco deal was notably facilitated thanks to a Day 3 pick swap. The Bengals only gave up their fifth-round pick because they were getting a sixth-rounder in return.

Cincinnati has traded away several players for late-round picks, ala Logan Wilson last year for another seventh-rounder, but going the opposite direction is far more rare.

Khalil Herbert was traded to the Bengals for a seventh-rounder. That was the third time since 1998 they traded a draft pick for a player. Linebacker Paul Justin was sent to the club for a fifth-round pick that year. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick became a Bengal thanks to a seventh-rounder. Then Herbert came along nearly 20 years later.

That’s it. For Cincy to go out of its way to send off TWO picks for a player would be unprecedented, but it has clear logic behind it.

Bengals have neglected linebacker so far this offseason

The linebacker position was one of Cincinnati’s biggest weaknesses to start the offseason. That distinction is holding strong as the club has added zero players to the group.

Joe Giles-Harris and Shaka Heyward each received extensions on Jan. 5. Radio silence ever since.

A free agent addition was expected, but it never happened despite the front office dishing out $58.5 million in 2026 cash for its top three signings.

Brooks never hit the market. The Dolphins released several notable players to save cap space, but have held onto one of their best overall players as he enters a contract year.

Like most cases, the closer the draft gets, the more picks become attractive. This is especially the case for rebuilding teams like Miami.

The Bengals would get a clear answer at one of their biggest needs, and the Dolphins would get more ammo to reload their roster for the future.

Cincinnati needs to get out of its comfort zone for it to happen, but it looks like a win-win.