The only move for the Cincinnati Bengals around the NFL trade deadline was a rather innocuous trade with the Dallas Cowboys. They sent team captain Logan Wilson to America's Team for a mere seventh-round pick. Tough day for Bengals fans, to be sure.
My take is Jerry Jones fleeced Cincinnati on that one to get a starting-caliber linebacker. If only because the two rookies the Bengals decided to start over Wilson at his position aren't starting-caliber. But I digress.
Apparently, the asking price for Trey Hendrickson was too high for any interested trade suitors, so he's staying put in Cincinnati, likely right on track for some more offseason contract dispute drama.
But beyond the inevitable Hendrickson vs. front office showdown that'll unfold in the coming months, I'm warming up to the idea of the Bengals not making a big move around the trade ultimatum.
Bengals can confirm just how bad current personnel is after dearth of deadline trade action
Like yes, would I have loved to see Quinnen Williams in a Bengals uniform? Am I mad that Jerry Jones got him, too? Yes and yes.
At the same time, perhaps this will provide the clarity ownership needs to see that a major change is necessary in the organization.
I've written about how de facto Bengals GM Duke Tobin should've been fired yesterday, aka many moons ago. Stripe Hype contributor Mike Luciano wrote earlier today about how the Wilson trade could cost Tobin his job.
Insightful bit of work by Mr. Luciano, who I'm admittedly piggybacking off of to gaslight myself into believing the Bengals might be OK in the coming years.
I keep coming back to this stat on. rookie linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter and I just can't believe it's real.
There are 88 qualified LBs graded this season by PFF.
— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) November 3, 2025
The Bengals rookie LBs have the bottom 2 spots.
Barrett Carter is 87th out of 88.
Demetrius Knight Jr. is 88th out of 88.
Spending two premium picks on non-premium positions to get this production is as bad as it gets.
Rookie first-round defensive end Shemar Stewart is also bad at football by NFL standards. Not a great Hendrickson contingency plan!
Given how poor Tobin's record is in the past four drafts in particular, I was all for mortgaging any future picks around the deadline for established veteran players. However, upon further review, there's no telling how low this 2025 Bengals team could sink.
What if that 2026 first-rounder they'd send for a hypothetical superstar wound up being in the top five? Somebody like Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese or Buckeyes generational safety prospect Caleb Downs could be on the board to transform Cincinnati's putrid defense. In my 4D chess brain, we'd get both of 'em, and Quinnen, and Rashan Gary, and Riq Woolen.
Yo Who Dey Nation I got us don't even worry.
— Matt Fitzgerald (@MattFitz_gerald) November 3, 2025
Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary to replace Trey Hendrickson, Riq Woolen, Caleb Downs, and Arvell Reese.
Move over, Duke Tobin. I'm marching into HQ to fix this team. #Bengals #WhoDey pic.twitter.com/VuRlexgECm
In all seriousness, standing pat until the draft over is revealed isn't the worst move.
Does it kill my soul a little that Joe Flacco's all-time performances are being wasted right now by a defense that can't do anything right? Yup. On the other hand, what are the chances that Flacco will stay as hot as he has, and that even with an average defense, the Bengals could go 7-1 the rest of the way to get to 10 wins and somehow squeak into the AFC playoffs?
You know what I'm saying? Take the emotion out of it. The win-now mentality is a little less appealing when your QB1 is 40 years old. There's a mere slim chance of Joe Burrow returning to the field next month in the event the postseason is a remote possibility.
So then it's a matter of execution. The Bengals need to spend enough in free agency to get someone like Riq Woolen, or swing an offseason trade with their premium draft assets to create a spark. That's how trade deadline inaction can translate to a better outcome down the road.
If it's another bargain-bin hunting offseason on the open market, and yet another underwhelming 2026 draft class, the entire Bengals regime from Duke Tobin to Zac Taylor and the coaching staff are in serious peril. To the point where, like, public opinion might be so against Mike Brown and the Blackburns that they'd mercifully sell the team.
Tobin almost assuredly isn't getting fired. He's held his post since 1999.
Best case? Brown and the powers that be realize just how behind the curve they are draft-wise,.d if they want to maintain their cheapo business practices, they must dedicate more resources to scouting and the personnel department.
The fact that all Who Dey Nation can pin its hopes on right now is a hypothetical scenario, where the current players are terrible and that catalyzes a drastic change in how the team operates, tells you all you need to know about the state of the Cincinnati Bengals.