The Green Bay Packers have been hit with some rather devastating injury news over the first few weeks of the 2023 campaign, as offensive tackle David Bakhtiari has been placed on the injured reserve list and will probably miss the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery. Bakhtiari’s absence leaves a rather gaping hole on the left side of the Packers’ offensive line, and it’s an issues they really need to remedy if they want to seriously contend for a playoff spot this year, possibly with a trade for Cincinnati Bengals’ lineman Jonah Williams.
The good news is that Green Bay has plenty of time ahead of the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline to bring in reinforcements. Of course, it would behoove the Packers to act quickly, as a lot can happen between now and the end of the month.
How about calling the Bengals and inquiring about Williams?
Williams has been the subject of trade speculation for a while now, and with the Bengals being 1-3 and hardly resembling contenders (thanks much in part to Joe Burrow‘s pesky calf issue), they could very well be sellers by the deadline. If Cincinnati does elect to move some pieces, you can be that Williams will be on the short lists of names the club attempts to trade.
The 25-year-old is in the final year of his contract and has been somewhat of a disappointment since the Bengals took him in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. While it would be unfair to call Williams a bust, he hasn’t produced what you would expect from a No. 11 overall pick.
Green Bay could send a 2024 third-round draft pick and a sixth-rounder to Cincinnati in exchange for Williams, giving the Packers an adequate Bakhtiari replacement and supplying the Bengals with a couple of draft assets to use in the offseason.
Green Bay is 2-2 and seems to have every intention of trying to contend for an NFC North division title, so adding Jonah Williams would be a boon for an offensive line that needs a boost.
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