Bengals Roster: Billy Price trade paves way for Trey Hill to make team

The Bengals roster had a shakeup on Monday after the team elected to trade former first-round pick Billy Price to the Giants in exchange for B.J. Hill. Not only does this now take Price off the roster (and he was going to make it as a backup center) but it opens the door for rookie sixth-round pick Trey Hill to land on the 53-man roster.

Before Price was traded, the likely scenario was that the Bengals would carry 10 offensive linemen (five starters, five backups) with the depth there probably consisting of Jackson Carman, Fred Johnson, Michael Jordan, Billy Price, and D’Ante Smith. With Price no longer in the picture, however, the Bengals not only have a vacant spot on the depth chart but they don’t have a backup center.

That’s where Hill comes into play and this trade signals that the Bengals really wanted to keep Hill around. He’s been spotty in the preseason but that’s not shocking for a sixth-round rookie.

Trey Hill is in line to make Bengals roster

While the Bengals are parting ways with Price, it was a smart move. Price hadn’t impressed during his three years with the organization and it was especially painful considering he was a first-round pick that they expected to be their center of the future. He did look better throughout the preseason but this was a move that fans aren’t saddened by.

Now, Price gets a fresh start with a new team, the Bengals don’t have to be reminded of their former first-round pick serving as a backup, and Hill has a much better chance at making the final roster.

Maybe we don’t see Hill take the field this year (which is the best-case scenario considering it’d mean Trey Hopkins was injured) but he now looks to be in a better position to make the team than he was on Monday morning.