As has become customary, the Cincinnati Bengals aren’t expected to make any flashy moves prior to the 2024 NFL trade deadline, even while some of their biggest rivals have been active in the name of improvement. But, that won’t stop us from identifying some key positions of need for Cincinnati. Here’s a look at three.
Running back
This one is obvious. The Bengals have had one of the least-productive rushing attacks in the league all season, and they mustered just 58 total rushing yards as a team against the Eagles in Week 8. Zack Moss has been a disappointment, and while Chase Brown has been solid, the opportunity just hasn’t been there.
After the loss to Philadelphia, Joe Burrow sent a clear message to Cincinnati’s front office regarding the teams need for a better ground game.
“After the first game, we ran it well for a couple weeks in a row there. The last couple of weeks haven’t been good enough,” Burrow said. “When you play good rushers like we have the last several weeks, you’ve got to keep them off balance and be able to run the ball.”
Are the Bengals going to trade for a running back? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. The decision to part ways with Joe Mixon isn’t looking so great right now.
Edge rusher
Outside of Trey Hendrickson, who has seven sacks on the season, the Bengals have been unable to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks consistently. As a team, the Bengals have just 12 total sacks, which is the fourth-lowest mark in the entire league, behind only the Falcons (6), Dolphins (9) and Panthers (9). For comparison’s sake, the New York Giants lead all teams with 35 sacks.
Against Philadelphia in Week 8, the Bengals couldn’t generate any pressure, which allowed Jalen Hurts ample time in the pocket. As a result, he had his best performance of the season and the Eagles were able to walk away with a commanding win. This has become a theme this season. Adding another player capable of consistently getting into the backfield would be a big boon for the Bengals.
Safety
Passing defense hasn’t been a strength for Cincinnati this season. They’ve allowed 219.4 passing yards per performance, and that number is even higher over the past three games at 228.3. New additions to the secondary in Geno Stone and Vonn Bell haven’t been as good of a safety duo as the team would have hoped. Through five games, Stone was the lowest-ranked safety in the entire NFL.
Dax Hill was moved from safety to corner over the offseason, and now he’s sidelined for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. There was hope that second-year safety Jordan Battle would take a major step forward in year two after he started in seven games as a rookie. However, the opportunity hasn’t been there, as he’s played just 46 total defensive snaps so far this season. Apparently the team isn’t confident enough to put him out there, and if that’s the case, they should look to add a safety before the deadline.
