The Cincinnati Bengals had one of the worst defensive fronts in the league last season, but they quickly jumped at the opportunity to turn that around this offseason.
The Bengals added Dexter Lawrence II and Jonathan Allen at defensive tackle in free agency. They also drafted Navy defensive tackle Landon Robinson to help their front. As a result, they could look to cut ties with one of their depth players in the coming days.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton recently put together a mock trade that would send Bengals defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a late 2027 NFL Draft pick.
“In a transition to an odd-man front, the Raiders entered the offseason with a need at nose tackle. Yet they didn’t invest premium draft capital or sign a premier free agent to fill the position. At 32, Adam Butler is the front-runner for that role,” Moton wrote. “The Raiders can add a young interior defender to develop as a future starting nose tackle. They should make a call for Jenkins, who may be buried on the Cincinnati Bengals depth chart after the team signed Jonathan Allen and acquired Dexter Lawrence II from the New York Giants.
“In his 2024 rookie campaign, Jenkins showed some flashes, recording 31 tackles (three for loss) and three sacks. Still only 24, the third-year pro has room for growth if he sees the field in a decent role.”
Jenkins is talented, but he doesn’t have a defined role on the defense. He’s likely going to be a third or fourth-string guy at this point. Being a rotational defensive player isn’t the worst role in the world, but if the Bengals can add a solid draft pick, they might be better off doing that.
This could revolve around how much the Bengals believe in the aforementioned Robinson. Robinson is undersized, but plays with a high motor. If Cincinnati believes he could step into Jenkins’ rotational role, trading the 24-year-old would make a lot of sense.
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