It’s no secret that the Cincinnati Bengals are hoping for improvement from their pass rush from a season ago. The team was last in the league in sacks and to make matters worse, their sack leader bolted for New York in free agency.
The Bengals have made strides toward improving their pass rush this offseason but if Chandler Jones is truly unhappy with the Cardinals and wants to be traded, the Bengals need to reach out and see what it’d take to land him.
All-Pro pass rusher Chandler Jones requested a trade from the Arizona Cardinals this offseason, per sources. Jones has been unhappy with his contract and future with the team. Cardinals don’t want to trade him and expect him to report to camp. But certainly a situation to watch.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) July 25, 2021
The Bengals signed Trey Hendrickson and Larry Ogunjobi this offseason to help their defensive front and also drafted four defensive linemen to step in and help make a difference. They definitely took steps in the right direction pertaining to their pass rush but Jones would put this unit over the top. He’d take them from bad to good just like that.
The Cincinnati Bengals should call the Cardinals about Chandler Jones.
This isn’t the first time I’ve discussed a potential Jones trade for Cincinnati. Back in early June, I wrote about how Jones would turn the pass rush into an elite unit and I’m sticking by that sentiment.
"If this trade did occur, Jones paired up with Hendrickson — who totaled 13.5 sacks last year in New Orleans — would be a lethal duo. All of a sudden the Bengals’ pass rush would go from a weakness to a strength and it’d give them the juice to contend in their tough division."
I mentioned in that blurb how Hendrickson is coming off a season where he notched 13.5 sacks but Jones is coming off an injury-riddled season, which makes this a risky trade for whoever does step up to the plate (hopefully it’s not the Ravens). Jones was injured last year but in 2019, he had a whopping 19 sacks and had a streak of five straight years where he recorded double-digit sacks. He’d be worth the risk, that’s for sure.
Cincinnati has proven that they care about beefing up their pass rush but trading for Jones would give them a ferocious unit and one that could actually compete with the likes of the Ravens and the Browns. Jones wouldn’t come cheap but the Bengals have the draft capital and the money to make this trade work, so they should most definitely throw their hat into the ring.
It’s moves like these that turn the losing teams into contenders. Take a shot, Cincinnati.