Cincinnati Bengals
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A competitor dropped out of the Maxx Crosby sweepstakes
The Cincinnati Bengals entered the offseason with a chance of altering the course of their immediate future. Unlike the rest of the NFL teams that will be picking alongside them in the top 10 of the NFL Draft, the Bengals already possess an elite quarterback and one of the best skill groups in the league.
What has slowed the Bengals down in recent seasons has been their defense, as they have had a bottom-12 scoring defense in each of the past three seasons. As a result, despite their explosive offense, the Bengals have missed the postseason in three consecutive seasons. With over $50 million in available cap space and a top 10 pick, the Bengals had enough salary cap to go after any free agent or trade for a superstar on the trade market like Maxx Crosby.
After the Las Vegas Raiders agreed to trade Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens,Albert Breer reported that the Bengals did call the Raiders to inquire about Crosby. Whether the Bengals have called the Raiders after the trade fell through remains to be seen, but for Cincinnati adding a player like Crosby would still change their outlook.
Cincinnati Bengals Have Less Competition For Maxx Crosby
One of the teams that was also said to be in the market for Crosby were the Detroit Lions. However, Lions presidentRod Wood stated that Detroit was “never were in the game” for any of the top pass-rushers available, including Crosby.
For Cincinnati, that’s two teams that are out of the Crosby sweepstakes, as the Baltimore Ravens added former Bengals All-Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson once their deal with Crosby fell through following his failed physical.
With a top-10 pick, the Bengals could potentially offer more than the Ravens did in their original deal with the Raiders, but with fewer teams involved in the bidding, the price may decrease for Cincinnati.
As things stand, the Raiders seem content keeping Crosby for the 2026 season. Meanwhile, Crosby said that he feels that he will be a Raider “for life”,but he did say regarding a potential trade down the road, “Honestly, you never know in this … league.”
Andrew Whitworth Pushes for Bengals to Trade for Crosby
Former Cincinnati Bengals player Andrew Whitworth hadpreviously expressed his desire for the Bengals to try and trade for Crosby as he said on February 18, “If it’s trading for Maxx Crosby … That’d be a lot of capital to try and figure out how to get that worked out. But that would be the young guy, tone-setter, the example for your defense every single day.”
Now, Whitworth was asked about his comments and wanting the Bengals to take a big swing.He responded, “How do we get this thing going again? We need this coach to make this change. We need this player to advance their game. All of these things and then, what about the franchise? What is it that you love to see? For me, I look at probably something that would create a lot of buzz and confidence, not only just the advantage, but to the guys in the building and … sometimes sending a message of, we take an aggressive swing and let it be known that this is what our goal that is. We want to go win a Super Bowl. I think sometimes those moments just create that, hey, we’re all in.”