Bleacher Report links Bengals to run-stopper and tight end ahead of trade deadline

Now that the Cincinnati Bengals are within one game of getting back to .500, they're back in the discussions of who to trade for rather than which of their own players to trade.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report put together his weekly article about trade candidates as we inch closer to the trade deadline. In past weeks, Tee Higgins had appeared there but now that the Bengals are somewhat in the AFC North discussion again (it's worth noting that both the Browns and Ravens own head-to-head tiebreakers over Cincinnati and the Steelers are at the top of the division as of this writing), Higgins wasn't on the list.

Two potential trade candidates for Cincinnati Bengals

Knox listed the Bengals as potential suitors for two of the players on his trade candidates list. The first trade candidate he had as a fit for the Bengals was Leonard Williams of the abysmal New York Giants.

"If the Dallas Cowboys can generate the cap space, targeting Williams would make sense. They are struggling against the run, allowing an average of 4.5 yards per carry. The Cincinnati Bengals are in an even worse position defensively, allowing 5.3 yards per rush in 2023.

Both Cincinnati and Dallas have more than $12 million in cap space, meaning it might not take much effort to work out a deal for Williams."

- Kristopher Knox

Putting the Cowboys as a potential suitor doesn't make a ton of sense given they're in the same division as the Giants. It'd make more sense to trade to a team not in the division and better yet, not in the conference. The Bengals check both of those boxes!

The Bengals have struggled against the run this season, as Knox noted in the blurb above, and could afford the price it'd take to add Williams to their roster.

The other trade candidate that Knox linked to Cincinnati was Mike Gesicki of the struggling New England Patriots. It's weird to see the Patriots this bad but they look totally outmatched this season. Gesicki was someone that Bengals fans were intrigued by in the offseason and the team still desperately needs a serviceable tight end.

"The Bengals could be interested, as they've gotten very little from free-agent addition Irv Smith Jr. (five catches, 27 yards) in the passing game. Cincinnati's passing attack came alive in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals. However, the Bengals should look to continue improving their offense wherever possible."

- Kristopher Knox

It's no secret that the Bengals could use a better tight end in their offense. Gesicki could give them just that.

This isn't an organization known for making aggressive trades but that was the Bengals of old. Maybe the front office will see that the Bengals need help in these departments and bring in reinforcements.