Will the Cincinnati Bengals be active at the NFL trade deadline this season?

Much of whether the Bengals make any sort of move by the November 4 trade deadline might hinge on how the team performs with Jake Browning under center in place of Joe Burrow over the next month.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano goes so far as wondering if the Bengals might pick up the phone on Trey Hendrickson trade calls if things go south:

“But if they fall apart under Browning and/or Burrow’s recovery timetable is longer than their most optimistic current hopes, then teams probably will start calling about someone such as edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who isn’t signed beyond this season.”

Even if things fall apart with Burrow out, it’s hard to see the Bengals seriously entertaining Hendrickson trade calls.

The Bengals don’t traditionally trade someone like Hendrickson. And the way Hendrickson’s contract rework unfolded leaves the door open for a franchise tag this offseason, keeping the Bengals in the driver’s seat when it comes to one of the NFL’s best pass-rushers.

Unless the Bengals collapse and another team offers a first-round pick and more, don’t expect the front office in Cincinnati to consider a Hendrickson trade. Even so, it’s painfully obvious the rumors will start surfacing near November, no matter what happens.