The weeks and days before the NFL Draft are crucial for trades as teams try to clear out unwanted contracts or raise additional draft money.
The Cincinnati Bengals are expected to have ten picks before the 2024 draft begins, but they may try to add more, or perhaps package some picks and players to move up. Three Bengals players that could be dealt during draft season are shown below.
Chris Evans, Running back
Chris Evans ended the 2023 season without a clear role as he didn’t appear in a game for the team after Week 11, and that’s unlikely to change in 2024 following the addition of Zack Moss, the emergence of second-year back Chase Brown and the presence of Trayveon Williams on the roster. Cincinnati probably doesn’t need to keep four running backs on the roster, and they could potentially save a little bit of coin by flipping Evans for draft capital.
Dax Hill, Safety
Dax Hill started all 17 games for the Bengals last season. But, the team made major upgrades to the safety spot in free agency by bringing back Vonn Bell and signing Geno Stone. Plus, the possibility exists that they could look to draft a safety with one of their selections in the upcoming draft.
As a result, it’s fair to question what Hill’s role will be moving forward, or if he’ll even be on the team at all. At this point in time, it sounds like the Bengals aren’t even sure what Hill’s role will be next season.
“Finding the best role for him to maximize his skill set would be something we’re working on this offseason,” Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said of Hill earlier this year. “. . . Finding the best fit will be up to our defensive coaching staff and (head coach Zac Taylor) to determine: Where can this guy help us the most to win football games? . . . “We’ll continue to assess all the roles as we go through the offseason.”
In addition to Stone and Bell, the team is also high on second-year safety Jordan Battle, which could make Hill expendable, despite the potential that he’s flashed over his first two seasons. Given the fact that he’s still just 23 years old, the Bengals could probably get a pretty decent return for Hill. Just because he might not fight into Cincinnati’s future plans doesn’t mean another team wouldn’t be happy to have him.
Tee Higgins, Wide Receiver
Okay, this one is obvious. Tee Higgins requested a trade away from Cincinnati at the onset of free agency after failing to come to an agreement with a long-term extension with the team. Since then, fans in Cincinnati have been waiting with bated breath to see if the franchise would grant his wish, or not.
Publicly, the Bengals have been adamant that they feel like they’re a better team with Higgins and plan to keep him around, despite the trade request.
“We’re excited for Tee to have a great year for us,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said recently. “We think he’s our best chance to help us win a Super Bowl. . . . I’ve enjoyed working with Tee the last four years and expect this year to be no different.”
However, a recent report suggested that the Bengals were at least willing to entertain offers for Higgins, so who knows?
If Cincinnati is going to trade Higgins this offseason, the likely time would be leading up to, or during, the draft. After all, the Bengals would want to execute a draft deal if they wanted to get back draft capital for this year as part of a return package. If all the players on Cincinnati’s roster, Higgins might be the most likely to get moved.
