The Cincinnati Bengals are not off to the start that they had hoped for. Through the first six weeks of the season The Bengals are sitting at a 1-4-1 record. There have been bright spots with the team. However, there are clearly moves that need to be made sooner, rather than later.
Trade players who want out, or are not in future plans
Simply put, there are players who have expressed they want out of Cincinnati. The two most vocal and public about this are defensive end Carlos Dunlap and wide receiver John Ross. The 31-year-old lineman Dunlap wouldn’t get much for the Bengals but could fetch some draft picks from a team like the Las Vegas Raiders, who would be looking to address the need. The Raiders could offer anywhere from a third-round pick, to a fifth round pick, pending their perceived value.
The fourth year wide out John Ross seems like a great fit for a trade with the New England Patriots. To over simplify this, it is just a very Patriots thing to do. Bill Belichick has had a way with getting deals done with Mike Brown, and could be willing to send a fourth or fifth round pick for Ross.
Center/guard Billy Price could be worth trading. He could benefit from a change of scenery. Price has been much better as a center with The Bengals, than he has at guard. The only problem being that Cincinnati has a very good center in Trey Hopkins. Look for Price to move to a team like the Texans to give competition to Nick Martin.
Also look for moves with wide out AJ Green and defensive tackle Geno Atkins. Green, like Ross, could easily be seen going the the Patriots.
Atkins could fit right in on the Cowboys or Buccaneers. The Cowboys just flat out need some playmakers on defense. The Buccaneers are looking to fill a hole left by Vita Vea. Atkins would slide in perfectly with an already dominant front seven.
To over simplify, The Bengals have many needs, and loading up on Draft picks would be a move in the right direction. If these players are not in the future, then it is best to rip off the band aid now.
Zac Taylor needs to delegate play calling
Handling play calling and head coaches duties are just too tall of an order for a young unexperienced head coach. There are very few who can handle this type of roll. If Taylor can hand over some of these responsibilities then he could give a bigger focus to his head coaching. Also, it really could help give the offense another breath of life.
Taylor may have the capability of doing both roles at some point. However, it appears to be too much for the 37-year-old coach to handle thus far.
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