The Cincinnati Bengals may not be done making moves after they shipped veteran defensive end Carlos Dunlap to Seatle on Wednesday afternoon.
The Cincinnati Bengals finally made the move many had expected them to, trading 11-year veteran Carlos Dunlap to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick and offensive lineman B.J. Finney. The fact that the front office was able to salvage anything out of the situation after all of the off-field antics is nothing short of a minor miracle.
For the orange and black faithful, the initial instinct is that the club is done making moves. They’ve historically been hesitant to dip their toes into the trade market, so why should this year be any different? Well, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, it just might be.
BJ Finney never seemed to settle in Seattle, so no surprise the Seahawks are sending him to Cincinnati in the Carlos Dunlap trade to help make the money work. Don’t think the Bengals are done making trades.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) October 28, 2020
Barnwell certainly isn’t alone in his line of thinking and the Bengals have plenty of players that could find themselves donning new uniforms by this time next week.
The Bengals’ trade candidates are numerous
After another disappointing start to the season, it’s evident the Bengals need to focus on the future. For some, that means acquiring all the draft capital they can and clearing the salary cap to pursue free agents that fit around Joe Burrow better.
Names such as A.J. Green, Geno Atkins, John Ross, and Billy Price have all been floated, and there should be no doubt that Cincinnati has fielded at least a few calls about some of these players.
At this point, it would be a surprise to see either Green or Atkins traded. Green has started to find his form after a rusty start and it’s difficult to imagine the front office dealing away a weapon for Burrow.
Atkins, on the other hand, is evidently struggling with an injury issue, which undoubtedly has impacted his trade value. In addition, according to Zac Taylor, he remains in good standing with the franchise. The hope appears to be that the all-pro defensive tackle will eventually return to form.
Ross and Price find themselves in an entirely different boat. The former has made it publicly aware that he requested a trade and the latter will have his role filled by the guy the Bengals just acquired, Finney.
Both are slated to be free agents once the season is up so you have to believe that any offer that comes across as semi-valuable will be taken by the front office. They simply have to get something out of a pair of disappointing former first-round picks.
A sixth-round pick here and a seventh-round pick there may not seem like much, but the Bengals have found contributors in that area of the draft before. Plus, they can potentially package these late-round picks to move up in the earlier portions of the draft to get a prospect they really want.
With the trade deadline just six days away, keep an eye out for more Bengals news.