As we noted recently, the Cincinnati Bengals haven’t shied away from draft trades during the Zac Taylor era, shaking free of another cliche.
And now experts would like to see some more.
Specifically, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has pegged the Bengals as one of the teams that should heavily consider a draft-day trade — a move down the board to help the wide receiver depth chart:
With Higgins on a one-year deal, Cincinnati might want to take advantage of a deep wide receiver draft to move down and add a wideout who can serve as the third receiver in 2024 before taking over as a replacement for Higgins in 2025. Adding an extra pick would also make it easier to address the interior of the offensive line, which is the sort of position the Bengals typically would want to hit on Day 2 as opposed to the top 32 picks.
It’s an intersting idea considering the Bengals already have 10 selections in the draft and a roster with only so many spots up for grabs.
Looking ahead, it would be easy to see the Bengals throwing one of their two third-round selections at wide receiver to reinforce the depth chart. But a trade down in the opening round certainly isn’t out of the question if a desperate team (probably a quarterback-hungry team) wants to move up, either.
While a trade down isn’t critical to drafting success this year, the team’s strategy of drafting major needs one year ahead of time could align with trades to acquire more picks.
