3 Cincinnati Bengals players who need to be demoted

The Cincinnati Bengals are 9-6 and one win away from clinching the AFC North for the first time since 2015. While the team has looked good, there have been several players who have not looked good in their roles.

Let’s take a look at three Bengals who should be demoted and never allowed to start at their respective position ever again. These aren’t realistic for right now but moving forward, these players should be demoted and not start unless injuries or other unforeseen circumstances occur.

3. Trey Hopkins

Sticking to the Bengals’ o-line, Trey Hopkins has not been the same dominant center that he was in 2020. He was injured at the end of the 2020 season and fans were thrilled that he was recovered in time to start in Week 1 but this year has not gone well for him.

Hopkins has a PFF grade of 50.8 and it’s clear that he’s no longer the answer at center. Tyler Linderbaum out of Iowa has been one of my biggest draft crushes for a while now and if there’s any chance the team can get him in the first round of the draft, that’d be the best-case scenario.

Cincinnati could also look to free agency targeting someone like Jason Kelce or Ben Jones to take over at the position. Hopkins has one year remaining on his contract and another team could be interested in trading for him given his production in the past.