Loss to Jets proved Cincinnati Bengals need a pass-rusher

The NFL trade deadline is later this afternoon and the Cincinnati Bengals have a serious need for a pass rusher. Fans already knew this but during the loss to the Jets in Week 8, it became a glaring issue, as Mike White had all day to throw and that led to him throwing for over 400 yards.

White was making his first NFL start and carved up the Bengals’ defense while the entire Jets offense totaled over 500 yards. This was one of the worst offenses in the NFL too, so it was inexcusable for the Bengals defense to be this puzzled.

If the Bengals want to be taken seriously, they need to add help in the pass-rushing department. Trey Hendrickson was a good offseason addition but he had a rough go of it on Sunday and having another prominent pass-rusher could have been the difference between a win over a beatable opponent and the loss we saw play out.

On Monday, the Rams made an aggressive trade for Von Miller, adding to the arsenal they already have on the defensive side of the ball. It was a huge move for Los Angeles and should make them one of the biggest Super Bowl contenders. The thing to remember with these kinds of moves, however, is that the Bengals aren’t the Rams.

They’re not going to mortgage their future in a trade (the Rams currently have three picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, that’s it), especially when they’ve still got a ways to go before being a true contender. The Bengals aren’t an organization that makes big moves and they value their draft picks.

Cincinnati Bengals need a pass rusher but might not pull the trigger.

The defense was cruising through the previous two games and that included a dominating win over the Ravens just a week ago. While this could have just been one bad game, it provides a blueprint to the rest of the NFL on how to expose this defense.

This is going to be an interesting storyline to watch for the rest of the season because now offenses know what it takes to beat the Bengals’ defense. They can’t stop screens and the pass-rush, while they have their moments, aren’t intimidating when you have them on their toes with trickery here and there.

The Bengals aren’t a team to make lavish trades and they probably won’t this time around too but if they were to do so, adding another pass-rusher could be the difference between a playoff spot and another disappointing season.