The Cincinnati Bengals are just 3-3 on the season, but perhaps they’re starting to head in the right direction. They’re coming off their bye week and have won their last two games, including a 17-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks, who are a very solid game.
Quarterback Joe Burrow has had back-to-back solid performances — he threw for two touchdowns against Seattle, and the week before, he completed 36 of 46 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns versus the Arizona Cardinals. Perhaps he is starting to get his groove back after a poor start to the season, especially given the calf strain he suffered during training camp.
But the Bengals still have a ways to go before they can call themselves true Super Bowl contenders.
One issue they have is a lack of offensive firepower. While wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is playing very well, as usual, fellow wideouts Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd have been underwhelming. Higgins has just 14 catches for 149 yards in five games, while Boyd is at 204 yards.
Cincinnati is also quite weak at the tight end position, which led Pro Football Focus analyst Brad Spielberger to propose that it should look to trade for Indianapolis Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox.
“Alie-Cox signed an extension last offseason that runs through 2024,” Spielberger wrote. “But now that quarterback Anthony Richardson has been lost for the season, perhaps Indianapolis clears some room for in-house extensions and lets the youth movement at tight end fully take over.
“The Bengals have the league’s lowest-graded tight end room (45.1 overall) and could use another dimension in their offense, with Alie-Cox providing solid blocking off tackle and a solid tertiary option down in the red zone with his huge frame. Alie-Cox has just six career drops on 134 targets and would allow Cincinnati to roll out different personnel packages and clear rushing lanes for Joe Mixon.”
Not one of the Bengals’ tight ends has as many as 50 receiving yards on the season. While Alie-Cox is no Travis Kelce or George Kittle, he is averaging 15.3 yards per reception this season and could be a decent supplementary playmaker for them.
At the same time, they’re hoping to get more production out of Mixon, a running back who has regressed since putting up 1,205 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns while making the Pro Bowl in 2021. His production has dropped and he has even seen his name come up in trade rumors. Spielberger seems to believe Alie-Cox’s blocking ability could make things easier on Mixon.
The Bengals have a difficult game this Sunday at the San Francisco 49ers just two days before the trade deadline. Perhaps the right move could allow them to defeat the Niners, who are currently on a two-game losing streak.
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