Among 2 live Bengals trade deadline targets at cornerback, only one would make sense

The Cincinnati Bengals were recently mentioned as a potential destination for two trade candidates ahead of the November 10th deadline.

Bradley Locker of PFF tabbed two players from the same position, suggesting the Bengals should be looking for cornerback depth. Hopefully, the Bengals will not need additional depth there as other players seize their opportunities and the starters play as we expect.

But just in case, let's take a look at Locker's picks for Cincinnati and whether they'd be good choices if it came to that. 

This might not be the CB Bengals need

The first player Locker names as a potential target for the Bengals is Zyon McCollum. 

Of his possible fit in Cincinnati, Locker writes, "The Bears and Bengals could also make particular sense given McCollum’s superior man coverage work (69.4 PFF coverage grade) and their higher rates of utilizing the look, although McCollum was actually better in zone in 2024 and 2025."

While McCollum may be good in coverage, according to Locker, his tackling leaves something to be desired. 

Through four games this season, McCollum has the highest missed tackle rate of his career, 15.8%. For reference, he's only slightly behind Jordan Battle's alarming 16.7% this year.

However, the Bengals would also be wise to closely evaluate his coverage abilities.

McCollum's QB rating when targeted is 108.7 this year, allowing a completion percentage of 70.0. So while PFF is bullish on his coverage prowess, we wouldn't exactly be thrilled to see that come to the Queen City.

Confusingly, McCollum's PFF ranking of 64th out of 103 CBs ranks higher than Dax Hill (77th), who is having the best year of his career, with a 68.4 QB rating when targeted and an extremely stingy 47.8 completion percentage. 

If the Bengals wanted to add depth, pursuing McCollum would cost them less than the second name on this list. Still, we would advise against it.

And that is without considering the way McCollum was talking out of his neck ahead of his Week 1 matchup against the Bengals, as he proclaimed, “There will be no better feeling than when we take away three, four interceptions.” 

McCollum recorded nine tackles, one tackle for loss, and two passes defended against the Bengals in Week 1.

Brandon Stephens would make for a better fit

Another cornerback Locker suggested could land in Cincinnati is the New York Jets' Brandon Stephens.

If the Jets become sellers, say the Bengals could be tempted, as Locker writes, "Pittsburgh and Detroit could have interest given their needs, while Stephens’ 88.7 man coverage grade would be enticing to Chicago and Cincinnati.”

The Bengals are intimately familiar with Stephens, as he spent his first four seasons with the Ravens and started 48 games for Baltimore. 

Stephens has a similar arc to Dax Hill, who also began his career as a safety before moving to corner. Also like Hill, Stephens is on pace to have the best year of his six-year career.

Through four games this season, Stephens has a QB rating of 64.8 when targeted while allowing a superb 45.5 completion percentage.

Furthermore, his 0.0 missed-tackle rate would appeal to a team still struggling in that department. Stephens is grading as the 14th-best cornerback in the NFL according to PFF. 

Stephens' contract runs through the 2027 season, which would give the Bengals a starting-level cornerback as insurance against losing Hill and/or DJ Turner in free agency. His contract guarantees run out after this year, too, making him all the more appealing to take on. 

We shouldn't expect the Jets to part with Stephens unless their season falls apart. Realistically, that could happen, but it hasn't yet. 

Cornerback might not be the Bengals' biggest need

As the trade deadline approaches, hopefully the Bengals will be in such a good position at every position that they will not need to make any roster changes. But that may already be the case at corner.

In four games, including his first start in Week 4, DJ Ivey looks ready to have a breakout season at corner. If that continues, the Bengals won't need reinforcements at the position. 

Plus, as we noted, Dax Hill is on pace for his best season yet as a pro. If the Bengals were to make a trade-deadline move, they would more likely target other positions than cornerback. Safety and linebacker immediately come to mind.

Given the choice between being sellers or buyers, we'd prefer they be the latter so that Cincinnati's front office can continue building a more proactive reputation to attract future talent.

If the Bengals need help at defensive back, they could probably do much better than McCollum, but presumably not much better than Stephens.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow