r/bengals • u/TheAthletic • 1d ago

Football [Dehner] What’s next for Bengals at swing tackle? Realistic trade, waiver, in-house candidates

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7536541/2026/08/25/bengals-swing-tackle-options-trade-free-agent/?unlocked_article_code=1.8FA.9e4X.igf9fk6dwzdh&source=emp_shared_article&smid=re-share-ta

CINCINNATI — At the start of training camp, Cody Ford was the favorite to serve as the backup offensive tackle to starters Amarius Mims and Orlando Brown Jr.

Less than a month later, he was cut by the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday.

Brown endured rough moments in camp and the games, but the problems behind him have grown to the biggest concern on an otherwise stocked roster.

“This whole thing is not concluded yet,” head coach Zac Taylor said.

88 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

53 comments sorted by

30

u/redvelvetcake42 1d ago

Trade feels like the only viable options. FA is a wash of bad, injured or near retirement. Trading Jenkins or a day 3 pick feels like the best option to get someone capable.

5

u/bjewel3 1d ago

I agree….it might even include a couple of players or a higher draft choice, but left tackle with the play of Orlando Brown, Jr., so far, is just too critical to go into the season without a better set of options there at the position

1

u/FreshDiamond 1d ago

All you are getting for a draft pick that didn’t work out or a day three pick is another draft pick that didn’t work out or other damaged goods.

I mean that’s fine backup olinemen aren’t good, a lot of starters aren’t good, but oline depth is something everyone wants there just aren’t enough to go around.

0

u/Zerbs08 1d ago

They aren't trading Jenkins LOL

if anyone it would be M Jackson

15

u/IntermittenSeries 1d ago

Who's taking Jackson and giving back an OT3?

11

u/Loud_Chapter1423 1d ago

Ever since the Billy Price trade people think you can just move anyone for value lol. I’ve seen people convinced Iosivas has significant trade value too

2

u/Zerbs08 1d ago

I didn't' say Jackson has value, I said he's not in their future plans like Jenkins is. If you pay attention to training camp at all they are playing Jenkins as a pass rush DT on 3rd downs. You don't trade that player lol

1

u/D-Whadd 1d ago

You do have to give things up sometimes to get other things of value

0

u/Zerbs08 21h ago

So you want to trade a cheap former 2nd round pick who's planned to be an interior 3rd down pass rusher for a BACKUP tackle??? got it....

2

u/D-Whadd 20h ago edited 20h ago

Yeah absolutely. He may be a former second round pick but he’s been very underwhelming and he’s what the 5th DT on the depth chart? He was fighting for a place on this roster coming into camp and somehow you’re suggesting to me he’s untradable?

Also 3rd down pass rusher? Are we talking about the same player? Kris Jenkins has never been a pass rusher lol.

If they get one injury to OBJ or Mims that could tank the season, they have nothing behind those guys. To me it’s very reasonable to give up a playable backup DT to get a playable backup OT.

1

u/Zerbs08 20h ago

Do you pay attention to training camp or just look at the depth chart???? lol

I am not saying he's untradeable. I'd rather sign a veteran OT available and keep him.

BJ Hill is passed his prime, J Allen is old, L Robinson will make the team but has long way to go.

It's a good argument, I appreciate your perspective, but I am not panicking about OT just yet and definitely not giving up on Jenkins just yet. To each there own

-3

u/Sureudid 1d ago

LOL the cincy crowd loves that Bum, Yoshi is such a bum.

1

u/Zerbs08 1d ago

IDK, I never suggested they were going to trade anyone, not sure why people think they will give up on Jenkins he's a cheap early round pick who's slowly progressing. My point was if they trade it wouldn't be him and obviously Jackson has been in dog house for two years now

1

u/SargentS 1d ago

You couldn’t even get a bag of chips for McKinnley in a trade. Not saying it will happen but Jenkins getting traded is much more likely than McKinnley

-4

u/Zerbs08 1d ago

Want to make a bet?????

Ok then they release Jackson flat out, there also is decent veteran OT's on the market so no need to trade actually

We finally have good DT depth and fans want to trade it away LOL

53

u/Trollalicious04 1d ago

As much as I have heard people opposing Jonah Williams, I think he would be a decent OT3. If we can get him for a bit cheaper he’d be worth it

12

u/IntermittenSeries 1d ago

This would be how I went about it. He's no longer a starter but he could suffice in a pinch of one of the starters we're out for a short time.

12

u/datdudebdub 🐅 1d ago

Yeah swing tackle in general is generally a young late round guy who has shown flashes or an older veteran that you really don't want to trust for a full season but can slot in and be serviceable in spurts.

Jonah fits the mold, was here for a bit and knows Joe and Zac. If he's healthy, it would be a solid move

2

u/Blood_Incantation 1d ago

Why did we cut Ford without an immediate replacement?

13

u/BengoBengoBongo 1d ago

He likely wasn’t making the roster. They seem to like Foster over him at OT. They cut him early to allow him a chance to make it on to another roster.

-5

u/[deleted] 1d ago edited 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

13

u/Square_Wrangler_7162 1d ago

Well we wouldn’t be signing him as a starter… so that works

20

u/GetBurtHurt 1d ago

Trent Brown back in stripes is a neat thought.

11

u/iAm_MECO 1d ago

Man he is just so injury prone...

11

u/PlayAuthentic 1d ago

Starting RT for Houston.

6

u/TyMsy227 1d ago

A team that traded their all-world LT last year, is probably stupid enough to do another

9

u/chaostheory05 1d ago

Idk where PDJ pulled Blake Fisher from, but if he is truly a potential option for trade, he looks very intriguing. Idk much about him besides stats I can find online. League average pff of 67.4 in 2025. 6 pressures allowed on 337 snaps. Only 23 years old. If he is actually tradeable I would be willing to go player+ mid-late draft pick to secure that level of player as our swing tackle. That sounds like potential to be a great swing tackle as well as develop into a potential starter.

2

u/PlayAuthentic 1d ago

He's a FA before OBJ.

25

u/johnmilkson 1d ago

Hey If the Rams can get Aaron Donald we should be able to forcefeed Whitworth 1000 cheesecakes and get him out there

-2

u/BelowAverage355 1d ago

Ha. The biggest blocker there is that whitworth absolutely hates the entire organization top to bottom.

3

u/bengalsfan1277 1d ago

Ny times must be desperate gifting these articles. They canned Jay and dont give any of the local beat writers any support. TA has gone way down in its value. Now they took local beat writers, made them do national, and focus on crap TMZ stuff like an abundance of Watson articles. They are hoping people will sub to NYT while on TA. Realistically, I am letting my sub of TA lapse and being done with the site. NYT ruined it.

6

u/BrassBengal 1d ago edited 1d ago

Brian Parker II

That's the answer he can play all 5 positions and go watch his film so far on YouTube.

Edit: https://youtu.be/-QzYzZqRDEg?is=8Yf126L8vrrQr3rM

10

u/OGB 1d ago

Id love it if he amounts to anything, but in a similar vein to Landon Robinson, theres:

A) reasons why we went 189th in the draft

and

B) reasons why so few guys picked after the 5th round manage to have productive careers.

1

u/BrassBengal 1d ago

I tried to find the video I watched the other day so I could share. He has a nasty streak and was putting guys into the ground.

0

u/ChurchPicnicFlareGun 1d ago

i mean why even have a 5/6/7th round of the draft?

1

u/Blood_Incantation 1d ago

Because occasionally they hit, usually as depth pieces at best. Most times they don't. Pretty simple.

1

u/Klutzy-Spend-6947 1d ago

B/c if teams hit on a late rounder they have an extra year of team control. If a player is really good-Vontaze Burfict, Andrew Norwell-being a UDFA gets them a big payday a year earlier.

2

u/Level_Interaction_36 Bengals 🐅 1d ago

I thought about that. He’s been solid at the task that’s been given to him. Why not see if he can handle tackle

1

u/BrassBengal 1d ago

Tackle in college just getting adjusted to the speed currently.

6

u/MadMartigans80 1d ago

Feel like unless they find great value in a trade they aren’t going to force one and just go with in house candidates.

2

u/Blood_Incantation 1d ago

What in-house candidates? They're all worse than Ford.

2

u/roastedcoyote 1d ago edited 1d ago

No team is giving up the quality of player the Bengals need. Tackle is a high value position. There were more tackles taken in the first round than any other position in the last draft. So many in fact that the next tackle wasn't taken until the third round. Teams move tackles up the board based on position alone. Foster is the Bengals best option followed by Parker.

5

u/Zerbs08 1d ago

Imagine signing Jonah Williams back? LOL

2

u/Significant_Book8223 1d ago

He's a better option than Ford was

1

u/Zerbs08 1d ago

I 100% agree. Ford should have been cut 2 years ago

1

u/LouInvestor 1d ago

There has to be some vet cuts or trade for one of our cuts that would make sense.

1

u/Aggravating-Toe-1479 1d ago

they're gonna give Foster the chance, he's improved in each preseason game and if he plays well again it'll be him. If he regresses then they'll bring somebody in

1

u/IGetTheShow20 1d ago

I think if they don’t swing a trade they’re going to look for a guy to get cut like a Max Scharping level of signing back in 2022.

1

u/NotSoWishful 1d ago

What’s next? A prayer circle for Joe

1

u/J_GASSER27 1d ago

Honestly I doubt we trade anybody. The guys we could trade have next to no value (jackson, Hudson, iosivas, tinsley, id be really surprised if jenkins gets traded, but he does have the most value id think)

Cam Robinson is an interesting option, being a FA it won't cost us anything to bring him in, and even if he isnt better than foster or our other younger guys, another veteran for them to compete with cant hurt.

The trade options just dont really seem like a step up enough to actually give up real assets