With the Cincinnati Bengals on bye, we highlighted positions the team should target at the NFL trade deadline — and one of the bigger items was running back.
Adding a back to pair with Joe Mixon makes a lot of sense, though we certainly didn’t go as heavy as suggesting the team go after Tennessee Titans superstar Derrick Henry.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay doesn’t shy away from it though, listing the Bengals as one of four teams that should make a move for Henry. In the proposed idea, the Bengals send a second and fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft to Tennessee:
The Bengals rank dead-last in rushing this season with a pitiful 69.8 per game. The team’s decision to retain Joe Mixon following a career-worst year has completely backfired. The veteran running back is averaging a mere 3.8 yards per carry in 2023—even fewer than he did last year—and he’s hardly made an impact as a pass-catcher, reeling in 16 passes for 104 yards across six appearances.
Using some of the cash saved on Mixon’s restructure and otherwise this season to pay for Henry’s remaining 2023 contract would be an interesting move. The Bengals don’t usually cough up draft assets in exchange for a better chance to win now, but this is the sort of luxury move a contender sometimes needs to make.
That said, some of Mixon’s struggles are a little exaggerated. This is perhaps the best he’s looked in a few years as an all-around player, but offensive line struggles, Joe Burrow’s calf making the offense predictable and the fact they never run from under center, only shotgun, has made things look worse than they are.
It’s no secret what Henry brings, though. He’s a risk while going on 30 years old, but he’s his usual self with 425 yards and three scores (4.3 average) over six games and he’d probably be quite a bit more effective in a Bengals offense with Burrow and the elite cast of receiving weapons.
If the Bengals don’t want to go this big, we’ve already gone long on why they should strike a trade with Denver to bring back Samaje Perine as a complement to Mixon.
