The Cincinnati Bengals are notorious for making head-scratching personnel decisions. That didn't extend to this year's NFL Draft as much as usual, but an inevitable part of any fanbase's draft experience is watching players they love get passed up and picked minutes later.
This was the case when stud Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez was still on the board when the Bengals went on the clock at No. 41 overall. Rodriguez could've started right away in Cincinnati over Barrett Carter at a position of dire need. Instead, the Bengals went with another Lone Star State player in Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell.
Not a bad selection by any means. However, it still hurt to see Rodriguez fly off the board not long thereafter to the Miami Dolphins with the 43rd pick in Round 2.
But when you really zoom out, Rodriguez to Miami could have massive implications for the Bengals' quest to upgrade their clear position of weakness on defense.
Dolphins drafting Jacob Rodriguez opens the door for Bengals to trade for All-Pro linebacker
Core Stripe Hype contributor Glenn Adams' analysis of the Dexter Lawrence trade floated the idea of a trade for Miami All-Pro linebacker Jordyn Brooks. The Dolphins are in full-on fire sale mode this offseason, and drafting Rodriguez signals that Brooks or Tyrel Dodson could be on the trade block.
While Dodson would be a fine addition and likely cost less in terms of money and draft capital, Brooks is the man the Bengals should hunt up for a veteran addition to their linebacker corps.
Both 'backers are due to be free agents in 2027. It's obvious that Miami won't keep both of them, especially after drafting Rodriguez. There's no question who'd fetch a higher draft pick in a trade.
Brooks led the NFL in solo tackles last season en route to first-team All-Pro honors. Although he's something of a liability in coverage, the 28-year-old is an elite run defender and missed only 4.3% of his tackle attempts in 2025.
Between all the reinforcements the Bengals have added to their defensive line and how strong their secondary looks, that weakness won't be as magnified if Brooks comes to the Queen City. He's the final piece to cement this Cincinnati offseason as a genuine all-in endeavor.
Everything adds up here. The Bengals might have to get creative with the salary cap in the coming years, but Brooks is the type of playmaking, green-dot linebacker who you commit the appropriate funds to and don't think twice about it.
So yeah, Duke Tobin. Let's finish this, big fella. Send a 2027 third-round pick to the Fins. You've got a comp pick coming in that round for Trey Hendrickson anyway. As the headline of this article states, it's an absolute no-brainer. And trust that the fanbase will love it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google