Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Cincinnati Bengals add RB Khalil Herbert on deadline day, but no help for the defense
Episode Date: November 5, 2024The Cincinnati Bengals suddenly needed a running back after Zack Moss sustained a neck injury that landed him on IR, and they attacked the need by trading a 7th round pick for former Chicago Bears RB ...Khalil Herbert. The guys break down what Hebert brings to the table for the Bengals, while the team didn't add to a defensive line that could have used a talent injection. Plus, what could be next on a short week that could see Cincinnati short handed again. Join the Locked On Bengals Insider Community! https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonbengalsFind and follow Locked On Bengals on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-bengals-daily-podcast-on-the-cincinnati-bengals/id1159723162Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7AObc0lh0WmQl5fJVgtajsGoogle Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vbG9ja2Vkb25iZW5nYWxz?sa=X&ved=0CAYQrrcFahcKEwio_sXtj8nuAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAgStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-bengalsFor your next listen, check out the Locked On Fantasy Football podcast. Get daily insight to the best Fantasy draft strategies so you can win your league this season. Click HERE to listen now. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your Team. Every Day.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Pre-Alcohol by ZbioticsGo to zbiotics.com/LOCKEDONNFLto learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use LOCKEDONNFL at checkout.BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month.RobinhoodRobinhood Gold provides the privileges of a high net worth for any net worth. These generous benefits are now available for only $5/month. The new gold standard is here with Robinhood Gold. Sign up at ROBINHOOD.com/GOLDLinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.Hillsdale CollegeAll of Hillsdale’s courses are self-paced so that you can start whenever, and tune in wherever. Plus, you can go deeper with readings, quizzes, discussions - or just enjoy the lectures. Go right now to hillsdale.edu/lockedon to enroll. There’s no cost, and it’s easy to get started.PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelYou can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.Arena ClubRight now, you can get 10% off your first Slab Pack or card purchase by going to Arenaclub.com/lockedonnflHimsVisit Hims.com/LOCKEDON to start your free online visit. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Transcript
Discussion (0)
The trade deadline has come and gone.
The Cincinnati Bengals made one in-season player trade.
Let's break it down.
You are Locked-on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast.
Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day.
What up Bengals fans and welcome to another episode of the Locked-on Bengals podcast.
I'm your host, Jake Liskow.
He's your host, James Rupin.
We're the Lockdown Bengals podcast on the,
the Lockdown Podcast Network covering your team every day.
We're on YouTube or everywhere you get your podcast.
Shout out to the everydayers.
Welcome back to another episode.
We're going to revisit some of the topics we talked about
and what should they do at the trade deadline conversation yesterday
and talk about what they did do and the path they took
and all of the different implications tied up there.
I'm Jake Liskow.
He's James Rupin.
I don't remember if I already said that.
We are your host of the Lockdown Bengals podcast.
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And the one move the Bengals made, James, was adding bears running back,
or former bears running back now, Khalil Herbert.
And it's a position where they needed help.
We talked about running back as an option.
We talked about Khalil Herbert specifically as an option.
Justin Mello wrote about him as well for the draft network yesterday.
A lot of people were thinking about running back for the Bengals and Khalil Herbert specifically,
and that is the move the Bengals make trading away a seventh round pick for running back help.
Makes sense. It makes a ton of sense.
We discussed how injuries impact things and the Zach Moss injury was significant.
And their running back depth was the worst in the NFL behind Zach Moss and Chase Brow.
It just was.
We talked about it months and months and months ago.
And so that's what happened is I think running back vaulted to probably the top or near the top of their list.
And you get a guy in Kalil Herbert.
And these are the type of trades that I love, that we've been trying to wield them to do always,
that we will have a discussion about when it comes to other positions here in just a few minutes.
You're talking about a guy that has clearly proven himself in the league, averaging 4.8 yards per carry throughout his career,
just got lost in the shuffle this year in in in Chicago they obviously went out and paid a
running back in free agency and he's just eight carries total so one he's fresh but two he's proven
it three straight years I mean he's he's been a piece of that bear's offense he can catch passes
out of the backfield and he's going to be a free agent this off season and this is the the final point
here because when you talk about giving up draft assets well that's fine you get
give up a seventh round pick to get him and you have him for the rest of this season.
But then when he goes in signs elsewhere, he's probably going to help your compensatory
pick formula.
And that element of it is a factor.
And that's why these late round picks for players that are proven, like a Khalil Herbert,
someone that should be a good fit in this offense, I think, and be a good compliment
to Chase Brown.
and if you need him to run it 15 times in a given week,
I think he can do that.
I like this trade a lot,
and I was pleasantly surprised this morning.
I think it was before 8 a.m. or right around then,
maybe 8.30 in the morning or so,
like Eastern time when that news broke.
Definitely well before I woke up here on the West Coast.
Khalil Herbert is a move that, like you said,
is a good move for the Cincinnati Bengals.
He adds quality depth to that room.
if he does his job well, you talk about him leaving and potentially them getting a compensatory
pick back, maybe they even are interested in extending him after this year.
Never say never.
It's possible that he provides them the kind of juice they're looking for for a complimentary back for Chase Brown.
And that's what he has been in his career when he's been with the Bears, when he's been
productive for three years, he's been a complimentary back, never taking bell cow kind of snaps,
never taking Bell cow kind of touches.
but an efficient player when he does have opportunities to carry the ball,
good at making guys miss the elusiveness is there,
the natural leverage to fall forward at the point of contact
and get that extra yard is there with Herbert.
You like that.
Notably, a more effective runner in the zone game than the gap game,
or at least he was with the Bears.
The Bengals have been going away from the zone a little bit,
like as an overall trend this year,
but perhaps with the injury to Aaron,
a sign that they need to get back to that zone game a little bit,
and Herbert certainly has comfortable in that part of the running playbook.
And I think, and I asked our lockdown Bears host, Lauren Cox, about this,
that he didn't really ever find a significant role as a pass catcher with the Bears.
But Lauren said, I always felt like he could contribute more there in the passing game,
but wasn't given many opportunities.
So an opportunity in Cincinnati perhaps for him to find a role as a reception.
receiving back where yes, Chase Brown has all of that explosiveness was something they really,
I would say, have missed from the departure of Joe Mixon, more than probably anything else they miss
about Joe Mixon, is that I think that his ability to create as a receiver, as a checkdown player,
is something that they haven't quite replicated with Zach Moss and with Chase Brown.
At this point, notwithstanding that Chase Brown had an awesome scramble with Joe touchdown
touchdown, where he was improvising off of being a checkdown option against Servators.
and that was a great play for Chase Brown,
and he can continue to take strides in that direction.
The other element here with Herbert, who I think we can all agree,
and I think it's fairly unanimous that he's got good vision, he's got good speed,
he's a talented runner, he shows that wiggle that you like to see.
The other big question in the Bengals offense is pass protection ability, right?
And it's something where, you know, you go look at the PFF grades.
He looks like he's probably average to below average there.
But when you ask people who have been covering the bears,
it's interesting what Joe Burrow had to say about it
because when you ask people who've been covering the bears,
pass pro has been bad is what Lauren said.
Maybe the single biggest reason he wasn't seeing the field.
So it could be a mental thing for Herbert, right?
Where when they're asking him to do the basics,
he's able to do it because he's a compact body.
He's a pretty strong guy.
He can make those blocks when he's in the right position,
but it's just a matter of getting into the right position
and the bears didn't trust him to do that.
We'll see how that develops with the Bengals
because Joe Burrow, contrary to what Lauren told me, who's been covering the Bears,
said that he's heard that Herbert's a pretty good pass protector and we'll hope that Joe
Burrow is right on this one.
Yeah.
Well, let's start here.
They had a Justin Fields offense.
So, of course, he didn't catch the ball.
All right?
They haven't been able to throw the ball in Chicago in a decade, two decades, three decades,
whatever it's been.
I mean, they haven't.
So catching 20 balls in a Chicago offense, which he did do, is like catching 40 in Cincinnati.
It just is.
I was shocked.
I was surprised.
I was like, man, Justin Fields' offense, you caught 20 passes?
Like, that's so, yeah, I think he'll be okay there.
The pass protection part of it, I just wonder if he can get it down quickly enough.
And the Thursday night element, I do think that he has a shot to be active was in meetings on Tuesday.
He was potentially going to talk to the media and didn't because he was meeting with coaches and trying to get things down.
I think he could have a role.
but I don't think he's going to pass protect on Thursday against the Ravens.
But then you have the longer layoff to get things down before that matchup against the Chargers.
So he's going to have some time here, I think, to get things digested.
And the other thing I like about Herbert, he probably, and he tweeted this, he was like, thank you, God, Houdet.
And when the report came out, I think it was Ian Rappaport for, or no, it was Tom Pellasero, NFL Network.
his representatives were certainly trying to find him a new home.
And I'm sure when the Zach Moss injury happened,
they're like,
all right,
let's get our client the heck out of here and a contract here
where he can show what he can do.
So you're talking about a young,
in his prime,
fresh,
hungry,
running back.
And you need that.
And so hopefully he does give them a little juice,
a little oomph.
And who knows,
maybe gives them a little pass protection as well.
But I really don't know how you can't like this trade
in a vacuum for the Bengals.
It makes them better.
It gives them another weapon that I do think will be a weapon on the ground and hopefully
through the air.
And obviously the past protection element is something that we're going to talk about with
every running back that comes through here as long as Joe Burroughs quarterback.
Well, and that's what Zach Moss's primary role was going toward with this year this year,
with the way that Chase Brown was trending as a ball carrier.
The last note on Khalil Herbert for me, James, is kickoff return experience, a place where they
are a little bit thin right now. Charlie Jones banged up. And when Chase Brown is your only
running back, well, they might need some bodies back there in the kick return game. Herbert
hasn't done a ton of it since 2021. He did a little bit in 2022, has a couple of kick returns this
year, but does have experience there as well. And it's the new kickoff. It's the new kickoff too.
Right. And only only two returns in the new rules this year in 2024. So we'll see if he can find
a role there where Zach Taylor earlier this week was asked about kickoff return and said that all options were open.
They had Kendrick Pryor as a practice squad call-up back there last week.
They did add the running back.
They did not make the moves we were talking about on the defensive side of the ball, James.
And we'll dive into that conversation, what they didn't get done coming up next.
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The Bengals add Khalil Herbert, which doesn't preclude them from making other moves.
Last time I checked the NFL rules, you're allowed to make multiple trades at any point on any given day.
Certainly on trade deadline day, the Pittsburgh Steelers is an example of this, making two moves to add a receiver and an edge rusher.
Preston Smith and Mike Williams Williams
Most common name in the world
I was thinking of Mike Davis for some reason
The Running Back? I got stuck
Yeah look man
We don't need to talk about names again
The Bengals made one move however they could have made more than one move
And there's a couple things here
And we'll get into the Bengals aspect of it more specifically
But I just want to vent for like 20 seconds really quick
about how dumb NFL teams are, about holding on to veterans on expiring contracts and hopeless
situations.
I'm looking at you, Callais Campbell, still playing for the Miami Dolphins.
I'm looking at you, Jadavion Clowny, still playing for the Carolina Panthers.
Like, what are you doing?
It's so dumb.
Anyway, I just had to rant about that for a second.
Chase Young with the Saints?
Yeah.
Like, that one is a shock.
So I think Josina Anderson had it at like 340.
It was like, the Saints are done making moves.
And I'm like, why?
Like get a seventh for him.
Get something for them.
I think that, heck, I'll throw this out there with Jonathan Jones and the Patriots.
You're talking about a veteran corner.
The commanders are in the corner market.
They might not have made that splash for Latimore if they could have gotten Jonathan Jones for a sixth rounder.
I'd rather have a six-round pick than nothing.
And you could say, oh, well, the compensatory selection and the process, if you're bad,
you should be active in free agency that off-season.
And I do think that that's part of it.
is look, the Bengals don't make another move.
And I wanted them to get Aziz O'Darie.
I thought it made a lot of sense.
He's represented by former Bengal John Thornton.
I like the fit.
He brought some juice to the Giants Pass Rush this year, six sacks.
To me, it seems like he's figured it out a bit.
And we'll see if that continues.
But the Giants don't move him.
And apparently the asking price was too high.
There was a dumb report out there that the asking price was a second.
And I don't believe that.
That's literally a fake.
fake news account. That's what I'm saying, but people shared that and pretend it like, and it's just not.
But I do think the asking price was probably a fourth. And I would understand why the Bengals
wouldn't give up a fourth for his Zizzo Jolari. I would. I thought, oh, well, maybe you could get
a get him for a fifth, certainly a sixth. In my overall takeaway here when I see, I'm just thinking of
the guy from Arden Key.
Arden Key doesn't get moved, right?
You see Zadaria Smith get moved,
and that would have been a trade I would have loved
for the Bengals to make.
I don't think they even reached out to the Browns,
and maybe it's because of the division,
about that.
But regardless,
you win the deadline
well ahead of the deadline.
Because you know who I think the best team
or one of the best teams
that got better at the deadline was?
it's the Kansas City Chiefs.
Did they make a move at the deadline?
No, they made their moves weeks ago, two weeks ago, and one week ago.
Like Josh Uche for a sixth round pick is better than maybe any of the other past rushing
deals.
And you could argue that Aderia Smith, I guess.
But like, that is something to take note of next year that I'm certainly going to note
because for whatever reason the price goes up and you can't be late, you don't want to be
up against the deadline.
And then people ask for, these teams ask,
for more than they should or they get tight, whatever the case is, man, Josh Uche for a sixth,
I would do that so easily right now.
And instead, the Bengals don't address defense.
And I know a lot of people are disappointed and I totally get it.
And by the way, the Preston Smith deal, I would have done that.
It's a seventh round pick.
It's a seventh round pick, Jake.
Why not?
Yeah, I don't have a great answer.
I don't think Preston Smith is some great player.
but I also don't think Azizzo Jalari is some great player.
I would not have gone higher than a fifth.
No way.
I wouldn't even feel great about trading a fifth for him.
I know that he has the sack numbers and he has some athleticism to him,
but even if you go back and watch his game against the Bengals where he had some production,
a lot of that is not him necessarily creating for himself.
While I would have welcomed the addition, Arden Key,
more interesting to me.
Calleus Campbell, I said this yesterday,
Calais Campbell was the guy that I would have focused on the hardest, but I guess Miami wasn't interested in moving him or the asking price was too high or whatever it is.
And some of this is not all on the Bengals.
As you said, James, perhaps the asking prices around the league are just too high and teams are stubborn.
And GMs want to try to salvage their jobs or coaching staffs or whatever it is.
Don't want to trade away some of their good players on expiring deals because they want to have some bright spot.
There's a locker room presence.
There's leadership, whatever those reasons may be.
At the same time, we don't know exactly what went down other than reports all day
were that the Bengals were trying to find additional help on the defensive side of the ball
and they were unable to get it done.
So whether or not that's because teams asking prices were too high or the Bengals just weren't
willing to step up and find the compensation that they needed to find to make the football
team better, the Bengals didn't get the deal done ultimately.
And now we're going to be talking about waiver wires and
veteran street free agents and that sort of stuff for a defense that still needs help and they just
didn't do enough while the Herbert move is great and doesn't have anything to do with them not getting
things done on the defensive side of the ball my ultimate conclusion here is that they didn't do enough
and it was very clear yesterday what they could have done to make the team better today yeah totally
agree and in my last thing that I would say is what were they talking about corner defensive
of line. And I do believe that they were trying. I do. And so trying as relative, maybe they made
ridiculous offers for, you know, whatever, right? Whatever. I don't know. But who were we talking
about in the offseason? The same guy that you've mentioned on every podcast we've done trade deadline-wise,
Callias Campbell, right? Would they have needed a corner if they had just signed Stefan Gilmore when he was
available when we were talking about signing Stefan Gilmore and Callias Campbell? That is,
the thing that irks me here. It doesn't have to be this, oh, we'll make eight trades before
the death, but you had obvious needs, and you've had them for months. And so this isn't a
culmination of the past two weeks where a couple injuries happened. No, the running back trade was that
because then you suddenly had this void. But even running back we're talking about, go get another
guy. We were talking about that in the offseason two. Oh, no doubt, because it was literally the
worst depth in the league behind those two guys, behind Moss and Brown.
Like, that's not a new narrative either. You're right. And so it's like, damn, man,
like, Callias Campbell should just be in stripes.
Stefan Gilmore was just out there and is playing well.
And Gilmore would be starting for you. And Campbell would be your third best
defensive linemen, defensive linemen, not tackle, just to be clear.
Maybe you just feel so much.
Maybe. Maybe. Maybe second. I was just giving BJ Hill some credit there.
But yeah, maybe.
It's close. It's close.
I mean, BJ's having a good season, but Calais Campbell is too.
And so that's the frustrating part to me is it's, all right, well, this is your chance to kind of write that wrong.
And you didn't.
And so now what, now where do they go?
And maybe that's what we do next.
I know we were planning on discussing some of the Ravens, and we can do that.
But where does this defense go now that they haven't made a trade to upgrade it?
You know Lou Aniruma was probably pounding the table.
I would imagine he is.
He wins those draft war room arguments, I think, plenty of time.
So where do they go?
We'll go there and we'll discuss Thursday night football coming up next.
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By not making a trade for help on defense, where do they go?
Well, I mentioned potentially some veteran street free agents out there.
That's an option.
they can scour the waiver wire as weeks go.
They could have done that at any point.
That doesn't uniquely change.
All the changes now they can't acquire players that are on other teams via trade.
It also means that this Bengals will be relying on second half leaps from some players that they may or may not get them from.
Because that's the way the league works.
But they're looking for steps and improvement from Miles Murphy, from Chris Jenkins, from McKinley Jackson on the defensive line,
And even from Joseph Osai continuing to earn praise from Luanna Rumo on Tuesday,
but obviously has some work to do to get back to the level that we thought he would be at,
you know, at this point in his career in general.
In addition to that, in the secondary, you've got Cam Taylor, Britt, DJ Turner and Jordan Battle earning a bigger role.
Can those guys continue or find steps into the right direction after the roller coasters for some of them throughout this season?
and that doesn't even mention the offense
where they're dealing with injuries to T. Higgins
and now Zach Moss and Orlando Brown.
So I don't really see the clear path
to a talent injection at this point, right?
Any street free agent out there, it's hard to imagine
that those are making monumental impacts
and otherwise you're banking on in-season development,
which is tough.
So what else are we talking about here, James?
We're talking about where they go from here.
it's an unclear picture, I would say.
Well, you're banking real quick.
Would you have done Aziz O'Dollari and Joseph Osai, or Joseph O'Sai and a fifth for Aziz O'Jari?
Like I said, when we were talking about O'Jolari, for me, a fifth is rich already.
But at that point, do you have a need for O'Sai when you have that other guy?
I don't know.
That doesn't really change the calculus for me too much in that perspective, I guess.
But a fifth by itself, for me personally.
is as high as I would have gone for OJabar.
Okay.
So you would have said no if they said throwing O'Sai to get it done.
Well, like I said, that wouldn't necessarily make a difference to me.
So you would have done it?
Yeah.
Like if I would do a fifth, I feel like O'Sai doesn't make much of a difference in that
world because OjoLar is probably taking Osai snaps.
Yeah, I was just kind of curious how.
Because anyways, part of it was like the giants were that they needed a reliable edge or something.
So you could just say that.
Anyways, I was just curious.
No, they're banking on my own.
Murphy. That's what this is. They're banking on Miles Murphy to be a first round edge rusher that develops and it better start now. It's got to start now. I need to see Miles Murphy make an impact on Thursday night football. I need to start to see these. And we've seen some flashes from Chris Jenkins, but you almost, and you could look at the PFF numbers or whatever. I can't really count and I know it counts against the Raiders, but they were so beaten to crap.
in their offensive line room that I don't know what's real and what's how many of those guys are
preseason guys for the Raiders that they're playing against and so that's what this is though
I mean you're not finding a pass rush of a juice on the street right now you were four months
ago when we said we signed clice Campbell not now and so miles Murphy is is has got to be that
guy I don't think Joseph Osai is maybe he is maybe he ends up being that guy and has a great
second half of the year. But to me, this, this can still work if Miles Murphy continues to
develop in a fast way now. This can't be a, oh, his pass-rest percentage went up a, his pressure
percentage went up a half a point. No, we got to start to notice 99 and notice him early and often.
And I think that's got to start on Thursday night. And hopefully it does. He's got talent.
and he's got athleticism,
but those pass brush moves, the instincts,
all of those things,
I think are things that you need to see develop.
And like I said,
Thursday night is huge.
And so finding a way to get to Lamar,
it's a must for this defense.
And not just get to him,
but get him to the ground,
something they really strongly the last time these teams played.
And it's not only Murphy, to be fair.
Like, yeah, that's a big one.
he was a first round pick, they need him to play like a first round pick.
And he's shown at times in his rookie year and even this year that those flashes are
there, that the ability is there, that the getoff is there, that the athleticism is there,
just needs to put it together a little bit more consistently than he has,
has an opportunity this week, short week, right?
We've talked a lot about how difficult it is to come off of a short week,
go on the road in your division.
I think Paul Daniel Jr. had the stat that since 2009,
AFC North teams on the road on Thursday night football in short weeks,
haven't won a game, 2019.
I might have said 2009.
But this week, if you're spelling Sam Hubbard, Miles Murphy,
you have an opportunity against Roger Rosengarten,
who's maybe the worst pass protecting offensive linemen on this Baltimore Ravens team.
You know, take Hubbard's job.
Like, people are like, oh, well, we want Miles to get all those Hubbard snaps.
No, hey, Miles, take Sam's job.
You don't just get jobs.
Go take it.
Like that's, that would, would and should be the mentality, right?
Because we always see it the other way.
Like, oh, well, this young guy needs to get in and get more and that.
No, go take it.
And it's not like, and you're right, there's been some flashes,
but he hasn't taken the job, right?
And so this is a week you're right where man, oh man,
a guy who he's played against plenty.
You're talking about ACC now.
Yeah, I think, you know, Clemson, Louisville.
Miles Murphy knows what it's like to go up against Lamar Jackson.
Even though they didn't play in college, I know that he had studied the Louisville stuff.
I've talked to him about it.
And so he's familiar with Lamar, even though he didn't play Lamar until he got to the NFL.
One interesting note here talking about taking jobs.
And I think I mentioned this earlier this week.
Joseph O'Side did out snap Miles Murphy this week, which is an interesting side note.
But again, Roger Rosengarten being an opportunity for Miles Murphy this week.
And like I said, it's not just him.
It is the rest of these young players in the secondary, including Jordan Battle, including Camp Taylor, right, including DJ Turner.
It is these young guys on the interior, McKinley Jackson and Chris Jenkins.
And we'll see what the status of BJ Hill is this week.
But such a big test coming up after the way things went the first time these scenes played,
where they had a couple stops early and then they let it get away from them late.
and the interception in the fourth quarter was killer.
If the defense has another game like that,
it's going to be really tough,
especially with not knowing what's going on with Orlando Brown and T. Higgins,
who we don't have an injury report yet.
They don't practice until late on Tuesday,
and we're recording before that after the trade deadline,
but before they practice,
they could be short-handed again this week, James.
And so you might need more complimentary football
if you can't get one or both of those guys back this week.
and so you're looking at all these young players on defense where they didn't make a move to add help
or couldn't make a move to add help but ultimately didn't make a move to add help
and now you're banking on the guys they have and honestly it's really hard not to be cynical about that
I hope that they're right and these guys develop but we've seen them time and time again say
we'd like the guys in the building and we've seen that bite them in the butt
and force them to make moves in the off season when they have the next off season or a year too late
when they had opportunities to address some of these things
if they were, I think, a little bit more honest
about some of the guys in the building a little bit earlier.
Well, that's the theme of this show, right?
If you sign Gilmore and you sign Campbell,
well, we're not really having this conversation as much, probably.
And instead, they get the teams,
and then we're talking about, oh, well, you should trade for a corner,
ah, you should trade for this defensive lineman,
or, ah, you should, they address running back,
and we'll see if these other positions develop.
Who knows?
Maybe they end up signing someone free,
agent-wise, but again, even that, and if they do that, I'll be like, well, they're a free agent
for a reason. Why don't you just sign them two months ago and put them on the practice squad if you
had an interest in them? I said that about Lawrence Guy. I know he's not here anymore, but like,
if you were open to signing a 34-year-old, why wasn't he on the practice squad in August, or on the
roster in August and you keep them around on the practice squad? And you say, hey, we think we're going
to need you because of that, because of the depth issues. And it's just, it's one of those things,
where you can't react two weeks too late,
especially now when you're four and five.
So must win on Thursday.
There's no doubt about that.
We'll see if they can get it done.
And we'll have more time to talk about this upcoming Thursday night football game
with the Baltimore Ravens.
We'll be crossing over with locked on Ravens tomorrow.
You'll hear from us after the game, of course, as well.
We haven't even mentioned that or reacted to the Bengals getting flexed
against the Los Angeles Chargers.
And we won't probably have an opportunity
to do that until Sunday because this is what happens on a short week.
There's only so much that we can get to.
And that wraps up the trade deadline where the ultimate conclusion is not enough done.
And now we're talking about a short week where we're hoping they can catch guys up to speed, get guys healthy.
And honestly, even if they sign a veteran at this point on a short week and a critical game for their season, it's tough.
It's a tough place to be
But we will continue to have you cover
They're not signing a veteran that helps Thursday
Yeah
Yeah like super unlikely right
We will have you covered here
The rest of the way this week
We'll have a little bit more on the Ravens game
Tomorrow like I said with our crossover
With Kevin Ostrake from Lockdown Ravens
Then we'll have you covered after the game on Thursday night
Until next time
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast
Ho-Day
And have a go
Thank you.
