The Cincinnati Bengals are 5-2 for the first time since the 2021 season and are very much in the mix for the AFC North title as we near the midway point of the season.
They’re fresh off two needlessly exciting games, both of which saw them fall behind 13-0 before coming back to win. Their most recent cardiac-inducing victory came over the Tennessee Titans in overtime by a score of 43-36.
While they came out on top in the end, they also lost several players to injury and will likely need to address
multiple positions before the trade deadline, whether through trades or free agency.
Before we get to that, though…..
The Colts are going to trade Jonathan Taylor. It’s going to happen, and the Bengals are reportedly one of five or six teams “aggressively pursuing” a possible trade for Taylor, according to Jordan Schultz.
So, before we get into some thoughts on Sunday’s game and the upcoming matchup in Spain, here are some pros and cons of a possible trade for Taylor.
Pros
- The first is obvious—Jonathan Taylor is a stud of a running back, and he would immediately upgrade the Bengals’ rushing attack. The Bengals have the second-fewest rushing yards of any team in the NFL and average just 3.7 yards per carry. The coaching staff has desperately tried to create a balanced offense, putting Burrow under center more often than ever before. It’s just not working. Defenses can focus on Burrow, his receivers, and the passing game without giving much thought to the rushing attack. If the Bengals trade for Taylor, that changes, and the offense should be even better because of it.
- The Bengals also wouldn’t need to worry about replacing Chase Brown after the 2026 season. Brown and Samaje Perine are both in contract years, and Taylor, a true three-down workhorse, could replace them both moving forward.
- He would take an insane amount of pressure off Burrow. Right now, even as the Bengals try to force a running game, the offense flows through Burrow and his elite receivers. They’ve only scored four rushing touchdowns, and two of those belong to Burrow. Can you imagine if defenses couldn’t drop five or six defensive backs into coverage to deal with Chase and Higgins because they actually had to worry about Taylor? What happens when defensive backs have to creep up in run support and safeties can no longer bracket Chase? Taylor would instantly make the Bengals’ offense much less predictable.
- And he’s a workhorse. Brown averages only about 13 carries per game, while Perine gets around five. Taylor is capable of handling 20-plus carries per game and has proven he can shoulder the load of an NFL rushing attack.
Cons
- The defense needs all the attention right now. Had we talked about this a couple of weeks ago, I’d have been all on board. That’s not the case anymore, though. The secondary is dealing with injuries and inconsistent play, and linebacker depth is a concern. Outside of the defensive line, the Bengals should seriously consider adding a veteran cornerback or linebacker, especially if DJ Turner is going to miss significant time.
- The cost would be enormous. The Bengals are already on the hook for Burrow’s $275 million, Chase’s $161 million, and Higgins’ $115 million contracts. The last thing they need is to add Taylor’s $44 million deal to the books. While it would be fun to see Taylor line up behind or next to Burrow, they don’t need to spend that kind of money on a running back when the offense will still flow through Burrow and his receivers more often than not. Taylor makes more sense for a team with a quarterback who needs a strong running game to help carry the offense. There is a possible out after the 2026 season, but it would still cost the Bengals $10 million in dead money.
- The running back position is devalued in 2026. While there are elite backs capable of doing elite things, some of the NFL’s best offenses have relative nobodies carrying the football. In the 2020s, it’s all about moving the ball through the air.
- A running back’s shelf life is also relatively short, which is part of the reason the position has been devalued in recent years. It’s a punishing position, and bell-cow running backs typically don’t last very long. The Derrick Henrys of the world are few and far between. Taylor is 27 now, and there’s no guarantee he’ll hold up to heavy use into his early 30s.
- The trade compensation could also be more than the Bengals are willing to pay. If there really are several teams aggressively pursuing Taylor, the Bengals could find themselves in a bidding war, forcing them to surrender more draft capital than they’re comfortable giving up.
Again, had this conversation taken place even a week earlier, I’d have been all for adding an elite running back to an already ridiculously overpowered offense.
Not anymore, though.
The Bengals need help at cornerback first and foremost. Once they address that, they could still look at adding a veteran linebacker or another edge rusher to help replace Cashius Howell.
Taylor would be a luxury the Bengals don’t really need and definitely can’t afford moving forward.
I just don’t think he gets them any closer to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy than Chase Brown does in 2026, and I certainly don’t think they want to pay him the more than $21 million he’d be owed in 2027.
So my vote is no.
Now, if you’re still with me after all that…..
Here are some random thoughts on the Bengals’ overtime win over the Titans:
- The Dexter Lawrence sack late in the game that pushed the Titans out of field goal range was exactly why the Bengals traded away a top-10 pick to acquire him. That was an elite play from an elite player at a pivotal moment in the game. Had he not made that sack, the Bengals could be 4-3 today.
- Teams continue to do whatever they can to bracket Chase, taking their chances with Higgins at their own peril. Higgins finished the game with 11 receptions for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Once the Titans tried to adjust, Chase got going, too, finishing with 11 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown. Pick your poison, I guess.
- When the defensive line can’t generate pressure on the quarterback, the secondary struggles to lock down receivers. That’s why trading for a cornerback could be the best move the Bengals make before the deadline.
- This is the kind of game the 2024 and 2025 Bengals lose.
- Burrow was both brilliant and weirdly reckless on Sunday. He completed 38 of 48 passes for 462 yards and five touchdowns. However, he also threw three interceptions, a couple of which were pretty ugly, including an underthrow of a wide-open Chase that should have been a touchdown. As long as he’s brilliant more often than he’s reckless, I guess it doesn’t matter.
- Boye Mafe has been an outstanding signing.
- The defense’s inability to tackle continues to be a major issue as the Bengals head into Week 9. At this point, what needs to change?
- The running game wasn’t necessarily ineffective against the Titans, but it was underutilized. Brown averaged 4.6 yards per carry on Sunday, his second-highest average of the season, but carried the ball just 12 times. They were in a shootout, though, so I get it.
- Five of the Titans’ seven losses have come by six points or fewer. They’re better than their 1-7 record suggests.
- That being said, the Bengals are the much better team, and I would have liked to see them dominate Tennessee instead of allowing Cam Ward to throw for more than 300 yards for the first time in his career.
Next stop: Spain
If you’re still with me, the Bengals travel to Spain to face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday morning as part of the league’s slate of international games this season.
The Falcons are 3-5 and are coming off a bizarre shutout loss to the Buccaneers in which Tampa Bay had ZERO passing yards.
The Falcons are better than the Titans, and the Bengals can’t afford to let them jump out to a 13-0 lead the way the Ravens and Titans did over the last two weeks.
That kind of football isn’t sustainable, and the Bengals need to count their blessings that they managed to come away with wins in both games.
It likely won’t happen a third time.
With this being an international game, everything is going to be thrown out of whack. The Bengals leave for Spain on Tuesday (today!) to adjust to the time change before stepping onto the field at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid on Sunday morning (for us).
They should win, but they’re going to have to put together a complete game that doesn’t include a bunch of self-inflicted wounds to do it.
Who Dey!
Relative Song Lyrics:
Going down to Lucky Town
Down in Luck Town
I’m gonna lose these blues I’ve found
Down in Lucky Town
Baby, down in Lucky Town
