Bengals wisely continue aggressive approach by trading for Covington

Cincinnati Bengals, Christian Covington (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Cincinnati Bengals, Christian Covington (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

The Cincinnati Bengals are wisely continuing their aggressive approach by trading for defensive tackle Christian Covington.

The Cincinnati Bengals are trading linebacker Austin Calitro for defensive tackle Christian Covington, according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini. After spending four years in Houston, one year in Dallas, and this offseason in Denver, the 6’2, 305-pound interior defensive lineman now makes his way to the Queen City.

The move signals yet another wise and aggressive move from the front office. For the first time in a long time, the franchise had a plethora of talented linebackers but not enough spots to roster them. Their solution? Instead of letting a good player walk for nothing, they flipped him for a player at a position that has been rocked with injuries and opt-outs.

What the Bengals are getting in Christian Covington

Christian Covington has played primarily in a backup role since being drafted in the 6th round of the 2015 draft. He saw the most action of his career a season ago with the Cowboys, playing in 45% of the team’s defensive snaps.

In that time frame, he came away with 28 tackles and a single sack. The latter stat tells Bengals fans all they need to know about Covington; he’s more impactful in the run game than he is rushing the passer.

While he doesn’t leave his mark by terrorizing quarterbacks, he was able to rack up four sacks and a very solid Pro Football Focus grade of 76.8 in the 2018 season. In that case, he only played 24% of his team’s defensive snaps. So, Cincinnati would be wise to limit his pitch count in order to get the most out of him.

Luckily, the Bengals’ defensive line is set up to do just that. With Geno Atkins, D.J. Reader, and Mike Daniels sitting atop the depth chart, position coach Nick Eason has the necessary talent to keep everybody fresh and playing in their optimal roles.

As the deadline to trim rosters down to 53-players looms, the potential of more moves from the Bengals sits on the horizon.

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