Building an NFL Trade Deadline Wish List for the Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals have had a roller coaster-type season thus far in 2012. They currently sit second in their division at 3-3 and face their divisional rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

There are plenty of reasons the Bengals could make significant improvements to their football team for the duration of the 2012 season. They have already been plagued by injury as several key starters have been placed on injured reserve. Other members of the Bengals have been under-performing so far this season to a point where a change seems necessary.

If the Bengals were to make any kind of move before the trade deadline, they would certainly be frugal in their negotiations as owner Mike Brown is not one to break out his check book with ease.

This means the Bengals would have to get the best bang for their buck at each position for which they could potentially trade.

The Cincinnati Bengals have four glaring needs going into the trade deadline.

We will emphasize why a change at a certain position is needed and attempt to choose a serviceable replacement for the right amount of compensation.

That being said, let's take a look at the Cincinnati Bengals wish list for the 2012 season trade deadline.

Running Back

BenJarvus Green-Ellis was brought into Cincinnati over the off season with the hopes that he would continue getting tough yards and becoming a major upgrade in the red zone. Another appeal was that Green-Ellis had not fumbled at all in his professional career.

Things have since changed regarding the recent play of Green-Ellis. The high hopes of Bengals fans to establish a dominant ground game have come to a screeching halt.

In 2012, Green-Ellis has only rushed for a total of 362 yards on 107 attempts for a dismal 3.4 yard per carry average. Also, he has not been the presence in the red zone that the Bengals had been hoping for. Green-Ellis only has two touchdown rushes on the season after six games.

The final—and possibly most important—aspect of Green-Ellis coming to the Bengals is his reliability and his ability to take care of the football. This has been disappointing as well this season as he has fumbled three times and has lost two of them.

With all of this said, Green-Ellis may not be the answer that the Bengals have been searching for after they let Cedric Benson go in the off-season.

There are still plenty of serviceable backs around the league that the Bengals could possibly receive for fair compensation.

One name that comes to mind is the Houston Texans backup running back Ben Tate.

Tate has the large frame that the Bengals love in their running backs and has the power to get those tough yards. He also has a good burst through the line and has great vision when finding a running lane. In the open field, Tate also has break-away speed and can be a home run hitter.

Cincinnati has not seen a back with those dynamics in their backfield for quite some time now and this would be a high priority for a trade deadline wish list.

Cornerback

The Bengals secondary has been a big concern this season as they are having difficulty finding stability at cornerback behind Leon Hall.

Terence Newman, who signed a one-year deal with Cincinnati over the off-season, has been playing at the second corner position this year. Newman has been showing his age somewhat and tends to have trouble keeping pace with a faster wide receiver.

Adam Jones has played well at the nickel corner position but is also on a one-year deal.

First-round draft selection Dre Kirkpatrick has yet to see any action this season as he has been suffering with injury since training camp. When Kirkpatrick does make his debut, it is still uncertain as to how much he will be able to contribute.

Jason Allen signed a two-year deal with Cincinnati but can not seem to stay healthy enough to stay on the field for any stretch of time.

With these injuries and inconsistent play, the Bengals could certainly look for a corner before the trade deadline to pair with Hall on the outside.

The Bengals have been searching for a younger but experienced player at the corner position ever since Johnathan Joseph departed in free agency for the Houston Texans two seasons ago.

Being that Cincinnati had just spent a first-round draft pick on Kirkpatrick this past April, it would be reasonable to say that they would be wary of giving up any high draft selections for another corner.

A possibility for the wish list could be the Seattle Seahawks corner Brandon Browner. Browner is a very physical corner and plays very well in man coverage. He would fit very well in defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer's scheme in Cincinnati.

The Bengals would have to give up a little more compensation-wise than they would prefer, but Browner has all of the tools to bolster the cornerback position for years to come.

Strong Safety

The Bengals have some youth at safety, but with youth comes inexperience. If they are looking for a playoff berth, they will need to solidify the position with an experienced player that is still young enough to keep up on deep routes with faster receivers.

This season the Bengals tried to go with Taylor Mays and Jeromy Miles at the strong safety position only to get burned by inexperience and bad decision making.

Mays is a big hitter but lacks the common sense to know when to make a hit and when to play the ball. He also has been frequently penalized by late hits and helmet-to-helmet contact.

Miles is a better cover safety than Mays, but he seems to have trouble finding the correct spot on the field to be able to make a play. He was constantly seen out of position as receivers were making easy catches in Miles' territory early in the season.

The Bengals then went to former cornerback Nate Clements at the safety position. Although he has played better than Mays and Miles, he has lost a step and his age has been showing of late. He is great in run support as he frequently gives up his body to make tackles, but has trouble in coverage.

The Bengals should make a trade deadline move for a strong safety to pair with free safety Reggie Nelson. The Bengals would like to acquire a player with adequate speed and coverage skills as he may need to pick up some slack left by the corners.

One safety that would certainly pick up the slack would be Eric Weddle of the San Diego Chargers. Weddle is a great hitter and also has terrific coverage skills. He rarely makes mistakes and generally is not found out of position on the field. Weddle may be exactly what Cincinnati needs at the safety position.

Weddle is slightly more high profile and would require more compensation, but with few options in the upcoming draft for Cincinnati, they may want to consider going this route.

Middle Linebacker

Rey Maualuga has been abysmal this season as the Bengals middle linebacker. There are many aspects of Maualuga's play that have been criticized all season by fans and NFL pundits alike.

Maualuga is constantly seen overpursuing running backs which vacates his spot in the middle and allows for gaping running lanes up the middle of the field.

Maualuga is also having a lot of trouble getting off of his blocks this season. He has been seen to be flat footed and does not lower his padding enough to get leverage on an offensive lineman.

Third, Maualuga also seems to be unwilling to sacrifice his body to make a play on a ball carrier. Instead, he tends to follow in pursuit and assist a teammate on a tackle instead of making one on his own.

There is a possibility that Maualuga is still hesitant to be physical on the field because of previous injury. He was seen playing softly towards the end of last season after coming back from injury. This was one attribution to the collapse of the Bengals run defense last season and an early exit from the playoffs.

Vontaze Burfict has been playing extremely well at the weak side linebacker position and has earned full-time starter status in the NFL.

The Bengals now have two options before the trade deadline in this situation.

They can keep Burfict on the weak side and obtain a new middle linebacker, or they can move Burfict back to his natural position in the middle and look for a replacement for Burfict on the outside.

There are several players out there that would suit the Bengals needs here. One that comes to mind is Philadelphia Eagles middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans. 

Ryans is a great all-around linebacker that can be a force against a running game, can find his way into the backfield to pressure the quarterback and is also good in coverage against running backs and tight ends.

Ryans is also a vocal leader on the field and can get personnel lined up correctly before a play is run. This is something that Maualuga struggles with as he seems to not be able to find his voice on the field.

If the Bengals can maintain a player of DeMeco Ryans caliber by the trade deadline, it will effectively bolster the middle of their defense for the duration of the season and possibly the postseason.