Death, taxes, slow starts, and Cincinnati standing pat at the Trade Deadline. Is this about the Bengals or Reds? The shoe sure does fit both franchises of late but there are legitimate reasons why an inactive Bengals trade deadline is in the near future.
Wait, are we having Deja vu?
Starting 3-5, thanks to a trio of wins over bad teams, the Bengals are reeling. The offense turtles in crucial moments and the defense has a hard time stopping anything. The Super Bowl window is wide open during the Joe Burrow era, or it should be. For 2024, remaining in the playoff discussion looks like a tall task.
No matter how many calls to sell off Tee Higgins or trade to acquire a pass rusher, Cincinnati is not likely to take advantage of this year’s trade deadline. Fans can be disappointed all they want. As Nick Saban put it, “It’s not happening, so quit askin’!”
Expect Another Quiet Bengals Trade Deadline
It’s Just Not How They Operate
The issue with how the Bengals operate is how the fans expect the team to break norms. Unfortunately, it’s just not how the Bengals roll.
Since 2000, the Cincinnati Bengals have made a grand total of 23 trades. That breaks down as follows:
- Two in-season
- Four preseason
- 17 offseason
Those trades were:
- Three player-for-player (or close)
- Three trades FOR a player
- Five trades where they traded a player AWAY
- 12 draft pick trades
So, in essence, Cincinnati has made just two trades in-season. Those two trades?
October 18, 2011: Carson Palmer was traded to the Raiders for a 2012 first (Dre Kirkpatrick) and a 2013 second (Giovani Bernard).
October 28, 2020: Carlos Dunlap was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for B.J. Finney and a 2021 seventh (Wyatt Huber).
Neither trade was as a “buyer,” so to speak. It was all about offloading frustrated veteran players. The Bengals just don’t make in-season trades and they certainly don’t trade FOR players in season.
Now, the Joe Burrow effect may make the Bengals change their course. However, don’t be surprised if the clock strikes 4:00 p.m. EST on November 5 and the Bengals don’t show up on the NFL transaction page. In all reality, the NFL Trade Deadline in Cincinnati will be the least stressful event on that pivotal Tuesday.
The End May Not Justify the Means
The world is not broken up into two groups of people. Not every team is as stingy as the Bengals but not every team is as liberal with their picks as the Los Angeles Rams. There is a price for every player and it’s not going to come out in the Bengals’ favor, more than likely.
Let’s take getting a pass rusher as an example. The Bengals do desperately need pass-rushing help. Trey Hendrickson is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL and is criminally underrated. However, as we saw against the Eagles, if you take Hendrickson out of the game, it’s game over. Even then, Hendrickson was taken out by a backup left tackle, so it was even worse than it seemed.
Aside from Hendrickson, the pass rush is non-existent. Case and point:
This isn't something I'd normally like to post, but out of 255 defensive linemen with at least 50 snaps, Sam Hubbard ranks 252nd and Myles Murphy ranks 253rd in PFF Pass Rush Grading.
— Willie Lutz (@willie_lutz) October 28, 2024
B.J. Hill had a massive game against the New York Giants but was absent against the Eagles.
With how expensive Burrow and (hopefully) Ja’Marr Chase are going to be, the Bengals are likely going to hold onto all of their draft picks rather than go out and get a guy.
Given, they could have traded a 2026 sixth-round pick for Josh Uche as the Kansas City Chiefs did, but it’s just not what the Bengals do.
ANY move would likely be lauded as a good one. However, no move will be made.
The Best is Yet to Come?
Thus far in 2024, the Bengals have not hit their stride. The offense has played well despite having the weight of the world on its shoulders to make up for the defense. The defense has struggled mightily. While you can blame injuries for a few losses, even at full strength, the defense has been rough. According to Pro Football Reference, the defense had -20 expected points or worse three times. Against the Commanders, they couldn’t force a single punt and had -27 expected points.
Offensively, the Bengals are solid but are wasting a potential MVP-like season from Burrow. When everyone is healthy, the offense can do no wrong. However, the offense fell apart against the Eagles without Higgins. Plus, Orlando Brown, Jr.’s nagging injury meant Cody Ford was getting meaningful snaps at left tackle.
That’s not a winning formula.
The team could look to add some guard help or another play-making receiver. But the team tends to overvalue its own players. Mike Gesicki is now in the Higgins role. Jermaine Burton is still learning what it takes to be a pro and made a few crucial mistakes against Philadelphia including the dropped touchdown and running onto the field and messing up Burrow’s attempt at a quick snap.
Only the Las Vegas Raiders stand between the Bengals and the trade deadline. On paper, the Bengals should be 4-5 when November 5 rolls around. However, as Week 1 showed, NFL games are not played on paper.
All in all, this is not to say the Bengals should not make any moves. They really should look to do something. If they can get a playmaker or even a rotational piece for a day three pick, they should pull the trigger. Unfortunately, that compensatory pick for when they lose Higgins to free agency is going to look better than making an attempt at making the 2024 team better.
The reality is that year after year, no matter how good or bad they are, the Bengals trade deadline strategy is the same: do nothing.
Main Image: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
