The Cincinnati Bengals have a tough call to make with offensive tackle Jonah Williams.
In the wake of signing Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency to play left tackle, the team intended for Williams to shift to the right side and compete on that side of the line.
Williams has other ideas and requested a trade.
The Bengals don’t have to honor it as he gets ready to play on his fifth-year option. But it’s a pretty alluring idea to see what the trade market might offer, never mind getting his fully guaranteed $12.6 million cap hit off the books.
One notable idea? ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggests the Bengals trade Williams to the New York Jets for Mekhi Becton:
Traded to the Jets. This would be a swap of tackles who are out of favor with their current regimes. The Jets would send Mekhi Becton to the Bengals for Williams. Becton has played just one game over the past two seasons because of injuries and would require a lengthy physical, but he looked like a franchise left tackle in 2020. He would get a shot on the right side for Cincinnati, which is trying to get more physical up front.
It’s a “better than nothing” solution for the Bengals, as Becton’s injury woes are a serious concern. Adding him alongside La’el Collins, who has consistently had injury woes of his own, might leave the Bengals in the same spot.
Still, there’s some merit to the idea of getting a high-upside player and clearing a ton of usable cap space while moving on from a guy who asked for a route out of town.
