4 positions Bengals should consider upgrading before trade deadline

Positions for Bengals to upgrade

1. Cornerback

The Bengals tried really hard to make their cornerback position one of the best in the league and for the most part, it’s been fine. Chidobe Awuzie has been a terrific addition and Mike Hilton has been solid. Tre Flowers is only one game into his Bengals tenure so the jury’s still out on that acquisition.

The problem, however, is that Trae Waynes is arguably the worst free agent in Bengals’ history. He’s played in two games since being signed in the 2020 offseason and landed on IR last week. He’s shown he can’t be relied on so it’s time for Cincinnati to try and add a quality cornerback via trade.

This is easier said than done, as quality cornerbacks don’t grow on trees. Teams are always trying to find corners who can come in and immediately lock down one side of the field but it doesn’t work that way, unfortunately.

Some noteworthy corners in the final year of their contracts are Stephon Gilmore (Panthers), Kyle Fuller (Broncos), and Jason Verrett (49ers). The Bengals could also take a more aggressive approach and go for someone not in the final year of their deal (C.J. Henderson or Xavien Howard, perhaps).

With the Panthers making two big trades for Gilmore and Henderson and then losing four straight games, they might be sellers now. Cincinnati should see what it’d take to land either of those guys because there’s no debating that they’d make the Bengals’ secondary stronger and that’s the end game here.

What positions do you think the Bengals need to trade for?