There’s no question that any team in the NFL would love to have Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.
Right now, he’s without question the most prominent name available on the market after Indianapolis indicated that it is open to shopping him ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
Several teams have been mentioned as possible suitors, including the Cincinnati Bengals. They currently have one of the best passing attacks in the NFL but one of the least productive running games.
That said, Cincinnati has never been an organization to make major in-season splashes, so this move would be unlike them. But if the Bengals believe they can win a Super Bowl right now, as they’ve given every indication they do, there’s no bigger move they could make than this one.
Former NFL superstar and current CBS Sports analyst J.J. Watt also seems to love the idea of Taylor ending up in Cincinnati.
Watt Makes Trade Pitch for Bengals to Acquire Taylor
Appearing on Russell Wilson and Kyle Long’s Tuesday episode of “Set, Hut!” Watt named Taylor as a perfect fit for Cincinnati. He believes Taylor could strengthen the Bengals’ offense and lead their rushing attack.
“Indianapolis is clearly going through a rebuild, and it’s going to be tough,” Watt said. “I would love to see the opportunity to go somewhere and win. I really do believe that the Cincinnati Bengals make sense for a guy like him because of what the offense has in terms of the passing game. They just haven’t been able to get going on the ground.”
He later added, after Long and Wilson expressed surprise at the idea of Taylor joining the Bengals’ offense, “I don’t know if they have the ability to get it done, but that would be incredible to me.”
.@JJWatt on a couple of moves he could see ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline 👀
Jonathan Taylor to the Bengals & Garrett Wilson to the Chiefs 😳
#SetHut https://t.co/6zytIezFON
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 3, 2026
What Would the Bengals Need to Trade to Get Taylor?
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported over the weekend that the Colts are eyeing a deal similar to the one the San Francisco 49ers made with the Carolina Panthers in 2022 for Christian McCaffrey.
That package included second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks.
For the Bengals, a package built around a second-round pick, running back Chase Brown and another pick could be a solid offer. The Colts would get a young, high-upside running back on a cheap contract in return, along with some draft capital.
J.J. Watt Makes Strong Jonathan Taylor Trade Pitch to Cincinnati Bengals