Cincinnati Bengals training camp is just about to get underway, and as exciting as the new-look defense is, it's also great that Joe Burrow finally has a solid offensive line to protect him. Orlando Brown Jr. and ascending 2024 first-round pick Amarius Mims are coming into their own as one of the NFL's better offensive tackle tandems.
Burrow is embracing the so-called pressure of Super Bowl expectations. He seems to believe this team has the goods to back it up.
However, there are still glaring concerns about the depth behind Brown and Mims on the edges of the o-line, and whether linebackers Barrett Carter or Demetrius Knight Jr. can make a Year 2 leap.
Here are a couple savvy trade options that would cost the Bengals no more than a late Day 3 draft pick to add some necessary insurance and/or competition to those problem areas.
Bengals can pluck LB Owen Pappoe from rebuilding Cardinals
Over the course of his three-year NFL career to date, Owen Pappoe has played sparingly on the Arizona Cardinals defense. They don't exactly have an elite roster, so it's fair to question why Pappoe is a viable addition to Cincinnati's linebacker room.
Well, the Cardinals are dysfunctional mess. Terrible ownership. No franchise quarterback. Demoralizing division competition in the NFC West. A perpetual rebuild with no end in sight.
Pappoe is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The Cardinals just got a new coaching staff. They have Mack Wilson, Cody Simon, and Jack Gibbens as their clear top three linebackers. Any of those guys could start on the Bengals.
So why choose Pappoe from that lot? Well, Arizona's foundation has to be built on something.
Maybe the Cards would be inclined to get a draft asset in exchange for Pappoe if he's going to play mostly special teams. In any event, I'm a big Pappoe fan just because of his sheer explosiveness. Check out some of the numbers from his Relative Athletic Score:
- 40-yard dash: 4.39 seconds (99th percentile)
- Bench press: 29 reps (96th percentile)
- Vertical leap: 35.5 inches (80th percentile)
- Broad jump: 10 feet, 6 inches (94th percentile)
Carter and Knight don't bring that kind of juice and speedy, playmaking upside to the gridiron. Additionally, Pappoe's speed translated well in coverage when he played at Auburn (77.0 passer rating allowed in 2023), and he missed only 6.9% of his tackles in his final college season.
The only catch is that Pappoe is listed at 6'0", 230 pounds. So what? He's a human heat-seeking missile who hasn't had his proper chance to be unleashed in the NFL.
Both the Bengals incumbent linebackers got roasted in coverage last year and struggled mightily to tackle. They should be far better with a full year in the system and studs like Dexter Lawrence in front of them.
Still, Pappoe would be a pretty darn sweet contingency plan — and a potential competitor to start.
Falcons' Jack Nelson could solve Bengals swing tackle hole
Check out the top candidates for Cincinnati's swing tackle spot right now and try to convince me (or yourself) that this is an acceptable group to roll with:
- Cody Ford
- Andrew Coker
- Javon Foster
Newsflash: It ain't. Ford is more of a guard at the NFL level. Coker is a tenured practice squad guy. Foster was a 2024 fourth-round pick in Jacksonville, yet the Jaguars' new regime dumped him last year during final roster cuts. It says something about the state of this position that Foster is the best dark horse candidate.
Hence why the flier goes here on ex-Wisconsin left tackle Jack Nelson. I say his alma mater because the Badgers tend to produce solid offensive linemen in general. Anyone remember Joe THomas in the AFC North? How about still-playing former Bengals guard Kevin Zeitler?
The Atlanta Falcons just drafted Ohio State tackle Ethan Onianwa, and traded for ex-Chiefs third-rounder Wanya Morris. They have Jake Matthews and Jawaan Taylor entrenched as starters.
See how this lines up? Plus, Nelson logged PFF pass blocking grades of 83.1, 76.0, and 82.2 in his three seasons starting at left tackle for Wisconsin. Good enough for me to take a flier on in exchange for a probable 2027 seventh-round pick!
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