Bengals: Bleacher Report says the team should trade for Brandon Brooks

The Cincinnati Bengals‘ offensive line might look better than it was a season ago but the team could certainly still use some help. Yes, they added Riley Reiff in free agency and drafted three different offensive linemen but considering what the poor play by the o-line led to last year, it makes sense that the Bengals continue to be linked to offensive linemen in one way or another.

Chris Roling of Bleacher Report thinks the Bengals shouldn’t be content with the line they have and thinks they need to make a trade for an established veteran. He put together a list of one trade every team needs to make and for the Bengals, he said it should be reaching out to the Eagles to see what it’d take to land Brandon Brooks.

The deal he proposed was a 2022 third-round draft pick in exchange for Brooks and here was the analysis he offered with this trade idea:

"Cincinnati tabbed second-round pick Jackson Carman as the answer at right guard, but if a veteran like Brandon Brooks is available, who plays where doesn’t matter as much as just getting the best possible five on the field.And Brooks himself has even said the Eagles tried to trade him during the draft. After missing all of last season and going into his age-32 campaign, Brooks would be a smooth rental addition for a Bengals team in need of an upgrade."

Roling is definitely right with his assessment and trading for Brooks would be a smart move by Cincinnati. The Bengals need another guard and Brooks would be a nice addition to this group. If that means moving Jackson Carman to the other guard spot, that doesn’t seem like a bad idea by any means.

Brooks is entering his 10th NFL season and spent the first four years of his career with the Texans and then the last five years with the Eagles. As Roling mentioned, Philadelphia has shown interest in trading Brooks and a third-round pick for a soon-to-be 32-year-old guard who missed all of last season.

The Bengals should attempt to trade for Brandon Brooks.

Brooks is signed through 2024 and has a potential out on his contract after this year, which would give the Bengals stability at the position should they make this trade and Brooks play well.

Cincinnati has to do whatever they can to add to their offensive line and trading for Brooks could make a lot of sense. He’s an experienced veteran at a position the team needs to address and his contract is affordable for the Bengals. Parting ways with a third-round pick in exchange for a player like Brooks would be a small price to pay to acquire someone who could make a positive impact on this team moving forward.

As we inch closer to the start of training camp, it’ll be interesting to see if the Bengals make any last minute moves to their offensive line, especially with the loss of Hakeem Adeniji.