Bengals adding Julio Jones would be fun but doesn’t make sense
The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t been listed as a team looking to trade for Julio Jones and there’s a reason for that, as their wide receiver depth is more than set. That being said, it’s hard not to think at what Jones would add to this new-look Bengals offense.
The Jones trade stories have been going on for a bit but they reemerged recently when Jeff Schultz of The Athletic wrote about the Falcons potentially trading him and some teams who might be interested in doing business with them. Unfortunately for Bengals fans, the Baltimore Ravens were listed as a team who could be interested in adding Jones.
While the Bengals didn’t make the list of teams interested, that’s okay! Jones is a great wide receiver and has been since he entered the league 10 years ago. He’s had seven seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving and continues to remain as a top 10 receiver in the league despite now being in the league for over a decade.
That being said, Cincinnati doesn’t need Jones in their offense and this is a good thing, as it shows they’ll have the weapons Joe Burrow needs to help him make a tremendous leap in year two as a pro.
The Bengals don’t need to trade for Julio Jones.
Cincinnati shocked people by drafting Ja’Marr Chase No. 5 overall despite seeing 2020 second-round pick Tee Higgins explode as a rookie and they also have other solid options in Tyler Boyd and Auden Tate. Chase now becomes their new No. 1 weapon and that gives them Higgins and Boyd as the No. 2 and 3 options with Tate now as a backup. Pretty good group of receivers right there.
A big part of why the Falcons are looking to trade Jones is his cap hit, which the Bengals don’t need to take on, especially for a player at a position they’re set at. Jones is due $15 million this year and $11 million in 2022 and 2023 and that’s money the Bengals could put toward another player a bigger position of need.
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Yes, it’s fun imagining Jones in this offense and catching passes from Burrow, but it’s not something that needs to happen. The Bengals are set at their wide receiver position and the money they would use on Jones can go toward other needs on the roster.