The Cincinnati Bengals will apparently be buyers by the NFL trade deadline this week.
That makes proposed trade ideas from around the NFL landscape pretty interesting to look at, to say the least.
Case in point, a trade idea that sends New Orleans Saints pass-rusher Chase Young to Cincinnati, courtesy of The 33rd Team’s Tyler Booke:
Pressure on opposing quarterbacks can compensate for many issues on a defense, and the Bengals have enough offensive firepower to force opponents to continue passing the ball. A Hendrickson-Young duo on third downs could make things much harder for offensive lines to plan for with their pass protection.
Bengals fans don’t need told just how bad the team’s pass-rush is outside of Trey Hendrickson. They also don’t need told about Young, the former Ohio State star who went second overall in 2020.
In this proposed deal, the Bengals only surrender a fifth-round pick, getting back Young and a 2026 sixth-round pick. And he’s on a one-year deal, too, making it a half-season rental as the team hopes to make a playoff push.
Compared to other Bengals trade ideas, this is more in line with what the Bengals should be looking to do — leverage middling assets into proven production.
Yes, Young hasn’t met draft expectations and there are issues, otherwise he wouldn’t be available. But he could excel in Cincinnati’s scheme opposite Hendrickson, which would put the Bengals in a better position to contend now and potentially keep around a 25-year-old asset for the long-term.
