The Cincinnati Bengals shouldn’t be totally inactive during the bye week, especially with the NFL trade deadline coming up.
And that’s especially the case with Joe Burrow’s Bengals at a measly 3-2, with Burrow himself sending warnings to his locker room about it.
There are problems on the Bengals roster right now. Linebacker seems to have the backing of the coaching staff no matter what. But safety next to Bryan Cook is another sour point. There’s also running back as an issue.
Fixing running back during the break would probably be the cheapest and most seamless.
It helps that a name like Tony Pollard might be available, too.
Pollard’s Titans are 0-5 and they aren’t close to turning things for the better. He’s on a $6.74 million contract that expires
after the season.
The Titans probably won’t be able to ask for much for a 29-year-old running back, given the background information. But last year over 17 games, he rushed for 1,082 yards and five scores on a 4.5 average, plus caught 33 passes. There’s appeal there.
For the Bengals, this would be about strengthening the rotation. They’re going away from under-center work. The offense is far better rushing right now when it's Samaje Perine, not Chase Brown, carrying the ball.
On paper, adding another back like Pollard to the mix will keep Perine fresh, Brown a gadget receiver and otherwise while boosting overall performance and, hopefully, helping the offense finally discover some explosives on the ground.
Compared to something as dramatic as the Dexter Lawrence trade, this wouldn’t be that big of a deal for the Bengals. And running back is a pretty straightforward spot for a guy to come in and work right away.
Cold-weather AFC North games are on the way and the Bengals hardly have their heads above .500. Adding a strong running back to the rotation right now during the break would be a shrewd move to keep the outlook strong and keep the Bengals in the hunt.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: 1 trade Bengals should make during bye week
