The Bengals should be wary of a divisonal rival acquiring Jamal Adams

The Cincinnati Bengals should be wary of the potential of one of their AFC North rivals aquiring star safety Jamal Adams.

As news broke yesterday that safety Jamal Adams wanted his time with the New York Jets to conclude, a list of seven teams he would welcome a trade to accompanied it. Among those teams were the Baltimore Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals’ divisional rival.

That should have the organization on high alert, as such a transaction would only increase their hold on the AFC North. Even worse, John Harbaugh and company have the ammunition and reasoning to complete a trade for the star defensive back.

The Ravens are on the brink of winning a championship and that means they’ll likely be willing to aggressively go after talent. For Baltimore, it makes all the sense in the world to part ways with a first round pick in order to acquire Adams. In doing so, they increase their chances of hoisting a Lombardi Trophy significantly while only losing a pick in the back half of round one, plus whatever other small pieces the Jets demand.

Adams would give the Ravens a very strong defense and an impeccable secondary. Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Earl Thomas, and the LSU product isn’t something any offensive coordinator would want to see on the opposing side.

Lamar Jackson and the rest of the Ravens already look difficult to beat but if they trade for Adams, it’s hard to imagine any scenario where they don’t handily win the division, barring injury.

The rest of the AFC North

Neither the Cleveland Browns or the Pittsburg Steelers appeared on Adam’s list for franchises he’d like to join but that doesn’t mean they can’t go after his services. The Steelers gave up a first-round pick for Minkah Fitzpatrick just last year so they’re certainly willing to pull off such a transaction, but it seems unlikely they’d do so again this offseason.

The Browns are no strangers to blockbuster trades either. In recent years they’ve acquired players such as Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, and Olivier Vernon via the trade market. They could certainly use a player of Adam’s caliber, especially at the safety position.

As things stand, the Bengals should keep a close eye on all three of their divisional rivals when it comes to this situation. Until Adams is dealt away from the North, the orange and black faithful will be holding their breath, hoping they don’t have to see the star safety twice a year for the foreseeable future.