{"id":858346,"date":"2026-04-07T06:27:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T06:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/858346\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T06:27:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T06:27:41","slug":"bengals-must-make-bold-trade-to-land-elite-edge-rusher-in-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/858346\/","title":{"rendered":"Bengals Must Make Bold Trade to Land Elite Edge Rusher in 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AA bold trade could help the Bengals land a game-changing pass rusher to power their defense.Cincinnati Today<\/p>\n

The Cincinnati Bengals enter the 2026 NFL Draft with a glaring need at edge rusher after losing Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai in free agency. Rather than play it safe with a high-floor pick at No. 10 overall, the Bengals should consider a bold trade with the Los Angeles Rams to acquire proven Pro Bowl edge defender Byron Young and additional draft capital.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

The Bengals are in ‘win-now’ mode and need to find a game-changing pass-rusher to compete with elite offenses in the AFC. Acquiring Young would immediately upgrade their defensive front and provide the kind of disruptive presence that can alter the trajectory of a game.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

By trading the No. 10 overall pick to the Rams in exchange for the No. 61 selection, a 2027 second-round pick, and Byron Young, the Bengals can solve their edge-rushing woes while still adding a potentially impactful player in the second round. Young is coming off a dominant 12-sack season and would pair nicely with recent free agent signing Boye Mafe and interior disruptor Jonathan Allen.<\/p>\n

The 2026 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 24-26, 2026.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Byron Young<\/p>\n

A 26-year-old edge rusher for the Los Angeles Rams who earned Pro Bowl honors in 2025 after recording 12 sacks.<\/p>\n

Trey Hendrickson<\/p>\n

A former Bengals edge rusher who signed with the Baltimore Ravens in free agency.<\/p>\n

Joseph Ossai<\/p>\n

A former Bengals edge rusher who signed with the New York Jets in free agency.<\/p>\n

Boye Mafe<\/p>\n

A free agent edge rusher signed by the Bengals this offseason.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Allen<\/p>\n

A veteran defensive tackle signed by the Bengals in free agency to bolster their defensive line.<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bengals need to stop thinking about how to fill a roster spot and start thinking about how to weaponize their draft position to dismantle the hierarchy of the AFC.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Enzo Flojo, Author<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the Cincinnati Bengals, the No. 10 overall pick represents a massive asset. Of course, it also represents a choice between status quo development and a radical redirection of the franchise’s immediate future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Enzo Flojo, Author<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The Bengals will need to negotiate a trade with the Rams during the 2026 NFL Draft in order to acquire Byron Young and additional draft capital.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

By making a bold move to trade down from No. 10 overall and acquire a proven pass-rusher in Byron Young, the Bengals can immediately upgrade their defensive front and give themselves the best chance to compete for a championship in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a A bold trade could help the Bengals land a game-changing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":858347,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2053],"tags":[228,227,256,2296,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-858346","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cincinnati-bengals","8":"tag-bengals","9":"tag-cincinnati","10":"tag-cincinnati-bengals","11":"tag-cincinnatibengals","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116362011346505237","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=858346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/858347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=858346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=858346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=858346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}