Philadelphia Eagles: Contenders who can partner in trade for Fletcher Cox

Philadelphia Eagles potential trade partner: Cincinnati Bengals

What if the Cincinnati Bengals got wind of the Ravens’ desire to sign Fletcher Cox and decided to run a little interference? What if they decided that their desire for Cox outweighed the need to play keep-away?

The Cincinnati Bengals have some young studs on both sides of the ball. Defensively, they field one of the best young safeties in the game, Jessie Bates III. They have solid tools in the secondary (Eli Apple, Vonn Bell, and Chidobe Awuzie). Their defensive line is one of this team’s strengths.

Think about guys like Sam Hubbard, D.J. Reader, Larry Ogunjobi, and Trey Hendrickson the next time you’re having that conversation.

The Bengals aren’t necessarily elite on defense, but they’re pretty doggone good. Adding Cox to their rotation along the defensive line could make life more unenjoyable for guys like the electric Lamar Jackson and the stationary Ben Roethlisberger.

No one seems to notice this, but the Bengals aren’t satisfied with being good. They’re trying to overtake the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. A move like this could help, but just like everyone else, they’ll need to manipulate their cap number some.

Currently, they’re estimated to have about $8.6 million in cap space.