The Cincinnati Bengals are playing the best football they have in ages, and there couldn't be a more exciting time to be a fan. For a team that went 4-11-1 in 2020 and was supposed to still be in the early stages of a rebuild towards contention, it has been amazing to see Joe Burrow and the passing game absolutely take off, while the defense has held several of the league's most potent offenses in check.
Most recently was a 41-17 drubbing of the then 5-1 Baltimore Ravens, which moved the Bengals up into a tie with Baltimore for 1st place in the loaded AFC North. Given that Cincy has blown out their last two opponents on both sides of the ball and was a gust of wind away from beating the Green Bay Packers, a game that would have them now on a 5-game winning streak, it doesn't seem like anything needs to change if they want to contend for a Super Bowl.
While they certainly do have a shot at a championship, they've also been inconsistent in establishing the run and are vulnerable to a truly dominant No. 1 receiver. Joe Mixon has had 3 games with 90+ rushing yards, but has also had less than 70 in each of the other 4, including a game with only 33 against the Packers. In fact, the game against Green Bay seemed to expose all of the Bengals' flaws – an inconsistent run game, a 200-yard performance from Davante Adams, and Joe Burrow's tendency to make reckless throws into coverage every once in a while.
In order to shore up these problems and take the next step towards title contention, Cincy needs to plug a couple gaps on the offensive line and add more cornerback depth. Here are 2 options they need to consider.
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Bengals Trades
Ted Karras – Center, New England Patriots
Piggybacking on Pro Football Focus' suggestion that the Bengals should trade for Karras, this is simply too good of a match to ignore. Karras graded as one of the league's best pass blockers last year at both left and right guard, which aren't even his natural position by trade. As a center, he's a beast in moving the front 7 and providing holes for running backs, which would mean big games from Joe Mixon, or at least an avoidance of duds. As he's not even starting for New England when they're fully healthy, he would be a dream acquisition for the Bengals.
Steven Nelson – Cornerback, Philadelphia Eagles
Nelson is also a PFF darling, as they rated him as the league's 13th best outside cornerback in the league heading into the season. He was top-10 in completion rate and passer rating allowed when targeted since 2019 and continues to produce for a middling Eagles team. Philly should try to get what they can for him and go all-in on a short rehaul of the roster so that they can have a shot at contending in 2022.
This is a trade that would benefit both sides, but more so the Bengals, as they would have a shot at taking it all the way here in 2021.
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