Giants' free agent visit sets the stage for ultimate Bengals heartbreak

The Cincinnati Bengals are averse to risk, structuring contracts like normal NFL human beings, and making blockbuster trades. Duke Tobin takes victory laps whenever he can over a Day 3 pick swap for quadragenarian quarterback Joe Flacco.

Admittedly savvy as that deal was, it wasn't some "all-in" move that sacrificed premium future assets. It was borne of desperation, thanks to Tobin and his minions failing to solve the offensive line in due time before Joe Burrow got seriously injured. Does that sound familiar?

Anyway, intense speculation — not hard reporting, to be clear — is swirling that Cincinnati could swing a trade for New York Giants nose tackle Dexter Lawrence. We at Stripe Hype have advocated for it. Kay Adams is on the Dex-to-Cincy train. She even needled Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to soft-launch recruit him on the spot.

Does anyone really think this will happen, though? In a cruel twist of fate, an obvious free agency reunion candidate could very well join the G-Men in due time based on the latest news.

Bengals legend D.J. Reader visits Giants as Dexter Lawrence's potential replacement

Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz broke the news that ex-Bengals star D.J. Reader met with the Giants. Reader has already visited the AFC North rival Ravens, who were happy to sign away superstar pass rusher Trey Hendrickson from Cincinnati this offseason.

Reader is among the best bargains remaining on the open market. He spent the past two years in Detroit, where he wasn't put in the best positions to succeed. Make no mistake, Reader still has plenty left in the tank, and is among the league's best nose tackles.

Unfortunately, the Bengals haven't deemed Reader worthy of a second stint, despite the fact that he was a crucial part of those teams that went to Super Bowl LVI and the AFC Championship Game the next year.

Whether Reader is mere leverage or insurance for the Giants in the midst of Lawrence's trade demand matters not. The worst-case scenario for Who Dey Heads and the perpetually passive Cincinnati brass alike has a real chance to come to fruition.

What is this worst-case scenario, you ask?

Reader lands in New York and balls out on a defensive line that has the likes of Brian Burns and Abdul Carter screaming in off the edge. And the Bengals miss out on acquiring Lawrence, who goes to some other more forward-thinking, serious organization willing to pursue a Super Bowl at all costs.

The Bengals boast enough assets and the salary cap health to pull off a Lawrence trade and pay him whatever top-market contract he wants. They could also do their typical front-loaded contract routine, get a shorter-term commitment from him, and allow Lawrence to test the free-agent market again sooner.

Our trade package for Lawrence is straight-up awesome — and it'd position Cincinnati to score Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles in the NFL Draft to fill another glaring defensive need.

But that'd make too much sense. That'd be too much of a winning move for this franchise. Get ready for another year of T.J. Slaton and McKinnley Jackson rotating in at nose tackle, ye Bengals faithful!

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