We briefly touched on the idea the Cincinnati Bengals could trade for Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick once already.
Reason being, safety has been a mess for the Bengals since Jessie Bates got away. Fitzpatrick would be an obvious upgrade and is apparently on the trade block.
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It’s becoming a more popular idea, too. Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport just listed the Bengals as one of the prime Fitzpatrick landing spots:
“Geno Stone started all 17 games for the Bengals at safety last year, logging a career-high 104 total tackles. But while he piled up tackles, he was a major liability in coverage. He allowed a completion percentage against over 65 percent and posted a career-worst 106.6 passer rating against.”
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Bengals coaches spoke highly of Geno Stone near the end of the season and right after it. But it’s abundantly clear that the group could be on the way to a full reset.
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Stone is a free agent, while acquiring Fitzpatrick would mean eating the trade cost and his $15.6 million cap hit in 2026.
The Bengals aren’t known for big trades like this, but free agency probably isn’t going to offer up a comparable solution at a similar cost. Neither is the draft, at least in terms of immediate returns.
Given what has transpired for the Bengals at safety over the last few years, they’re not going to stop showing up on lists concerning top safety options anytime soon.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals a trade destination for top star gets more national momentum