As the Cincinnati Bengals sit at 3-2, they are likely to be buyers if anything at the trade deadline. Their offense has a lot of firepower, but an elite running back would put them over the top. Given the Indianapolis Colts firing their General Manager Chris Ballard, there are questions as to whether there will be a fire sale to recoup assets for the next GM. One name that could catch the Bengals’ interest is Jonathan Taylor.
“It’ll be interesting to see if pricey Colts veterans like DeForest Buckner and Jonathan Taylor now become available for trade,” tweeted Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “Remember, Miami moved guys after firing GM Chris Grier before the deadline last year.”
John Sheeran of A to Z Sports argues that the Bengals’ aggressive trade for Dexter Lawrence this offseason should make them one of the likely candidates to acquire Taylor.
“He would be an obvious upgrade over Brown as the lead back in Cincinnati’s run game,” wrote Sheeran of Taylor. “If the goal is building the best possible team to win a Super Bowl this year, replacing (Chase) Brown with Taylor accomplishes that. The messaging of urgency from Cincinnati has been constant all year. Trading for one of the best ball carriers in the league to solidify the run game would be an even more aggressive swing at a title right now.”
Sheeran believes sending a second-round pick for Taylor would get the job done.
Cincinnati Bengals Could Trade for Jonathan Taylor
The Bengals have tried to let Chase Brown be their lead back, but he has consistently proven he would be best in a complementary role. Brown is down from 4.4 yards per attempt and 59.9 yards per game to 3.5 yards per attempt and 49.2 yards per game this season. Brown has a 46.5% success rate this year, which is below his career average of 50.2%.
As he continues to get more work, defenses figure him out more. Last week, they started to see Samaje Perine eat into his workload. So, they are going to have to find some help at running back
Bengals Need Help At Running Back
Taylor signed a two-year, $44M deal this offseason. So, the acquiring team would have him signed through the 2028 season. Due to the guarantees of the deal, the Bengals could move on from Taylor as soon as the end of the 2026 season.
Because Taylor is locked down, and because the team can get out of it easily, the Colts are not going to give him up for nothing. That is why a second-round pick is a likely return. Taylor has 122 carries for 492 yards this season.
Despite the Colts being 2-4, Taylor is averaging 82 yards per game and 4 yards per attempt. He has an impressive 56.6% success rate. This is a clear upgrade for a team in a Super Bowl window.
Bengals Could Land $44 Million All-Pro After GM Firing