The Cincinnati Bengals don’t sound like a team about to make a move at the NFL trade deadline in an effort to save the season.
Elsewhere in the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs have made a second trade before the deadline, beefing up the defense by acquiring New England Patriots edge rusher Josh Uche.
That, just a handful of days after getting Patrick Mahomes a new weapon via trade for wideout DeAndre Hopkins.
The Bengals, meanwhile, are 3-5 and to be brutally honest, are losing the goodwill of fans earned from that Super Bowl run.
Zac Taylor’s Bengals need help at pass-rusher, in the secondary and more, yet aren’t likely to make any sort of move at all, once again hoping that draft picks pan out (and likely losing talent like Tee Higgins, just like they lost Jessie Bates).
The comparison to the Chiefs is important because it shows how a team with a top-five passer should be “all-in” at all times. And it also does away with some of the myths that a team like the Bengals just can’t do the same.
Look at a note from the Chiefs’ general manager on this topic, courtesy of ESPN’s Kevin Clark:
A few years ago I asked Brett Veach about when to go all in and this was his response. https://t.co/yr1aKWeP6t pic.twitter.com/cLbGrq3UNF
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) October 28, 2024
Sure, sometimes this doesn’t work and it backfires. But not every team has a Burrow or Mahomes.
The Chiefs have Mahomes and are all-in with moves like this. Hence, the Chiefs are 7-0 despite a “bad” season from Mahomes so far.
