The Cincinnati Bengals, should they want to save the season with a bold move, have a few good options available to them via trade.
Finding and prying away a good quarterback from another team in the NFL midseason is next to impossible these days. Hence, the Bengals holding onto Jake Browning so tightly and understandably feeling like they have one of the best backups in the NFL.
Now that such an idea has blown up in their face, though, if the Bengals want to go get a wildcard in the hopes of salvaging the season, these might be the only names actually available.
Russell Wilson
A report has suggested that maybe the Bengals already put feelers out about trading for Russell Wilson. He’s older, on a cheap contract and just lost his job to a rookie. That makes him actually available via trade, though. And he’s a great deep-ball passer and won’t blink at taking risks over the middle. Pairing him with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins would actually be…sort of intriguing.
Jameis Winston
The other quarterback on the New York Giants possibly available, Winston is the meme-making former No. 1 pick who has serious hot-cold streaks. If he gets hot with Chase and Higgins, any price the Giants could want would end up worth it.
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Andy Dalton
Don’t laugh. The Bengals would need to apologize for that whole benching Dalton on his birthday thing before the trade. But Dalton is more than capable of coming in and running a steady offense, never mind his familiarity with the organization.
Malik Willis
The former big-name third-round pick has made some spot starts in Green Bay and showed some interesting upside. Some of this is because he might actually be available. Another part of it, though, is wondering if he can create some down-the-road trade value with a good showing, should the Bengals acquire him and get him on the field.
Kirk Cousins
Cousins is 37 and some of that $40 million cap hit looks scary. The Bengals would have to pay up big to pry him loose, then attempt to find a way to alter his contract. This is the longshot option, no doubt. In the Bengals’ shoes, some teams might just take it while guys like Chase remain in their prime. The Bengals…probably not.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals’ top trade options if they give up on Jake Browning
