The Cincinnati Bengals are looking pretty darn good with a 4-2 record through Week 7, but they did give up over 200 first-half passing yards to Tyler Huntley in Baltimore. Oh, and they were shut out for two quarters as well.
Despite the euphoria induced by 35 unanswered second-half points against the Ravens, Duke Tobin shouldn't sit on his hands as the trade deadline approaches. That doesn't mean he won't, though.
So many negatives in that last stanza might head is spinning. Instead of working out some complex trade or parting with Duke's beloved draft picks, it's worth exploring who the semi-realistic options are in free agency who could help Cincinnati.
Bobby Wagner remains the obvious fix at linebacker
Barrett Carter has been fine as the green dot linebacker. Demetrius Knight Jr. is a solid run defender, if not a very good cover guy. Neither should stop the Bengals from acquiring future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner.
Even if Wagner has lost a step, he was still playing at an elite level versus the run last season. The 36-year-old vet should be on a lot of teams' radars, and I wouldn't be surprised if he joined a contender after the trade deadline.
Why not Cincinnati then? The Bengals have a little over $8 million in cap room to seal a deal with Wagner. That should be more than enough for half a season.
Wagner is the type of veteran leader with a Super Bowl pedigree who could not only elevate a rather weak/thin position group, but also be the difference in Cincinnati lifting the Lombardi Trophy and not.
Taysom Hill would add tight end depth and an exotic offensive wrinkle
Now that Erick All Jr. has injured his right knee yet again (still awaiting more details on the severity), it'd be nice to have some tight end insurance. Who better than Taysom Hill?
Look, it goes beyond the tight end spot re: Hill joining the fold. He's started and won games at quarterback in the NFL. Most importantly, though, he can function as a short-yardage/Wildcat QB type, or even a fullback or pure ball-carrier in the backfield.
Imagine if Taysom Hill was the personal pass protector/tight end leak option instead of Drew Sample. And just think of how much better and more versatile the running game could be with Hill in the fold.
To me, Hill's presence would make the Bengals' personnel packages more difficult to decipher, more multiple, and make their run-pass splits far less obvious. Some would argue Hill is washed at age 36, but remember, he didn't start his first NFL season until he was 27, and he should have some tread left on his tires with all of this season off to date.
Raheem Mostert is the speedy runner Cincinnati's ground game could really use
You might scoff at the notion of a 34-year-old running back providing any sort of upgrade over Chase Brown or Samaje Perine. However, Raheem Mostert only has 781 career regular-season carries. He hasn't exactly been run into the ground.
As recently as last season, Mostert played for the Las Vegas Raiders and averaged a healthy 4.7 yards per carry with 104 yards on 22 attempts. He also averaged 29.3 yards per kickoff return, with a long of 54 yards.
So yeah. Mostert still has some serious juice. And he was openly lobbying not long ago to get in the mix in Vegas with Ashton Jeanty struggling to find his rhythm while clearly playing through injuries.
Raheem Mostert is available if the Raiders want to give Ashton Jeanty a week off 👀#justfootball pic.twitter.com/He0JMG5zSU
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 14, 2026
Mostert is just way more explosive than Brown or Perine. If the Bengals are keeping it so vanilla and simple in their run scheme, they just need a guy who can hit the hole north and south with serious acceleration. That is Mostert's M.O...but he's just as adept as an outside zone runner, which could open up Cincinnati's playbook in that regard.
Sorry. I know this is just a pipe dream. But hey...anything to add some spark to the Bengals run game would be welcome. And it'd help protect Joe Burrow as the season goes deeper.
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