Before the Dexter Lawrence trade, it always felt like a stretch to include the Cincinnati Bengals in blockbuster trade ideas. 

Times have changed, to say the least. 

With the Indianapolis Colts imploding and firing a general manager at 2-4, plenty of teams will be sniffing around the organization to see if a fire sale is about to start up. 

The Bengals should be one of those teams, especially if it means they can land a player like running back Jonathan Taylor. 

It’s a fun idea that every fanbase is probably thinking right now. Taylor’s the guy who ran for 18 scores and 1,585 yards last year. He’s sitting on 492 yards and seven scores through six games this year. 

No deal for Taylor would be cheap considering he’s sitting on a two-year extension worth $44 million and a cap number of $21 million and slightly above that in 2027 and 2028. 

But fire sales could mean an elite running back shakes loose for perhaps less trade compensation than one might expect while the regime tires to shed salary cap and reset a program.

ESPN’s Stephen Holder put it best:  

Highly unlikely, no doubt. But the Bengals aren’t getting good returns from their desired under-center looks and Samaje Perine has been more effective than Chase Brown on a small sample size so far. 

Doing at least a little due diligence on a possible Colts sale would make sense for the Bengals before the NFL trade deadline.