The Cincinnati Bengals have a 3-3 record going into their Week 8 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, but that doesn’t seem so awful considering they lost three of their previous four games.
The Bengals haven’t found much consistency on either side of the ball, despite their.500 record. The Joe Burrow-led offense will probably ultimately find its rhythm, but in order to support their Super Bowl hopes, the Bengals obviously need some secondary support.
Among the best defensive backs available come trade deadline day? Justin Simmons, a three-time Second-team All-Pro safety with the Denver Broncos, is supposedly one of several prominent players that General Manager George Paton may consider offers for.
Players that make the MOST sense to trade for (in NO particular order):
1. C Aaron Brewer
2. CB Jaylon Johnson
3. WR Hunter Renfrow
4. IOL Lloyd Cushenberry
5. S Jeremy Chinn
6. S Justin Simmons
7. Patrick Surtain II
8. Possible TE … Mike Geisicki or Hayden Hurst— Jared Kane (@BaddestBearJew) October 26, 2023
Prodigious safety Jessie Bates III left the Bengals in free agency, joining the Atlanta Falcons. In the secondary, they lack dependable defensive backs, but Simmons would improve the unit right away.
Justin Simmons, on P.J. Locke’s INT: “They were in the perfect offensive play-call for what we were running … I hope that he gets the credit he deserves on that play, because that was a heck of a play that not a lot of guys can make.” pic.twitter.com/IchWN4H490
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 23, 2023
Third-round draft picks in 2024 and fifth-round picks in 2025 might be a reasonable offer for Simmons. In this case, Cincinnati can afford to bundle an early-round pick because Simmons is signed through 2024.
It’s time for Paton to start offloading important assets in order to raise money for draft picks, as the 2-5 Broncos won’t make the playoffs this year. Even with Simmons’ quality, the Broncos still need players who can aid in their reconstruction. Furthermore, he only has a limited number of productive years left at age thirty.
Being a top-tier cover safety, Simmons would increase the threat of the Bengals defense in January. To compete with players like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawrence, and Patrick Mahomes in the AFC, Cincinnati needs a talent like that.
