The Indianapolis Colts started selling on Tuesday, trading guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko is now making the case for the Cincinnati Bengals to get in on the action and trade for star running back Jonathan Taylor.
The Bengals, 4-2 and third in the AFC North, are coming off a 35-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. They trailed 13-0 at halftime and then scored all 35 of their points after the break. Joe Burrow went 22-of-30 for 292 yards and four touchdowns, Tee Higgins caught six passes for 148 yards and a score, and Ja'Marr Chase also picked up a score.
The passing numbers hold up across the whole season. Through Week 7, Burrow ranks first among 33 qualified quarterbacks with a 71.7% completion rate and is tied for second in the NFL with 15 touchdown passes.
Higgins' 571 receiving yards rank eighth in the league, and Chase's five touchdown catches are tied for fourth. Per PFN's Offense Impact Metric , the top 10 offenses entering Week 7 SNF had the Bengals on top with an 87.4 grade.
In the ground game, Cincinnati ran 20 times for 73 yards in Baltimore, with Chase Brown gaining 39 yards on 11 carries.
So what would Taylor bring to the Bengals? His 587 rushing yards through Week 7 rank fifth in the NFL, and his eight rushing touchdowns are tied for first, though his 4.2 yards per carry are tied for 20th.
He ran for 95 yards on 18 carries in Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, including a 38-yard touchdown in the first quarter, on a day Daniel Jones threw for 108 yards. PFN's NFL RB Impact Grade has Taylor at 81.4 through Week 7, ranking 10th of 45 graded running backs.
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With Taylor in Cincinnati, Fehoko argued that teams "would choose to either run a light box to defend Ja'Marr and Tee or load up to stop JT."
Fehoko's suggestion is to fire up the Bengals' offense by pairing Taylor with Chase and Higgins: "The Bengals can lock in a guaranteed Super Bowl if they trade for Jonathan Taylor." He closed with four words: "YOU CAN'T DO BOTH."
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ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that Indianapolis doesn't want to trade Taylor, even as the 2-5 club turns veterans into draft picks.
On "The Pat McAfee Show," Schefter left a little room: "They don't want to trade Jonathan Taylor, which doesn't mean that they won't trade him, but I don't think they want to." He added , "And today I would say they don't."
"But there are other players that I believe will wind up being on the move here," he added.
Seattle is reportedly sending a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder for Nelson, an eight-time Pro Bowler. Later Tuesday, San Francisco agreed to send a 2027 fourth-rounder for Buckner.
PFN's Playoff Meter currently gives the Bengals a 16.5% chance of reaching the Super Bowl and an 8.2% chance of winning their maiden Lombardi Trophy.
The trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10. Before that, the Colts visit the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 1, while the Bengals host the Tennessee Titans in Week 8.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
