The Cincinnati Bengals have acknowledged Carlos Dunlap is on his way out, and these 3 teams should be making trade offers.
Carlos Dunlap has been vocal about his displeasure with the Cincinnati Bengals, all the way to posting the defensive end depth chart and soliciting offers for his house on social media. Now, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Bengals have told Dunlap to say home while they work out his future.
Dunlap has spent his entire career with the Bengals, and he’s one sack shy of the franchise’s all-time lead with 82.5 sacks (nine in 2019). But his role has been progressively reduced this year, all the way to a season-low 12 snaps in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns. In the last three games, he has played a total of 69 snaps after playing 75 snaps (with nine tackles) in Week 3. According to Rapoport, Dunlap was seen arguing with assistant coaches on the sideline during that Week 7 game.
The Bengals could just cut Dunlap and be done with it. But the premium on good pass rushers, which he surely still is, makes trying to trade him for practically anything a better move. Dunlap is set to get his wish for a change of scenery.
These three teams should be preparing their trade offers now
3. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are 3-3, with very good wins over the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs, and they’re in the thick of the AFC playoff race. Last season’s fade, from 6-4 to 7-9 , may lead to moves to bolster the roster before next Tuesday’s trade deadline.
The Raiders have seven sacks as a team this season, tied for second-fewest in the league. It’s not been an issue of generating initial pressure per se, as they’re top-10 in the league in hurry rate (10.9 percent; according to Pro Football Reference). But looking further, they are bottom half of the league in quarterback knockdown rate and pressure rate.
Dunlap would fit nicely on a defensive front that needs reinforcements. Playing time would not be an issue, and it’s worth noting Raiders’ defensive coordinator Paul Guenther was Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator from 2014-2017.
2. Seattle Seahawks
Seattle has the league’s worst pass defense (368.7 yards per game), due in no small part to being toward the bottom of the league in sacks (nine). In deeper pass rush metrics (pressure rate, hurry rate) they are also toward the bottom of the NFL. Letting Jadeveon Clowney go this offseason looks like a bad decision.
The Seahawks’ defense will be their undoing if they don’t fix it. The return to health of safety Jamal Adams will help the back end that’s getting roasted every week, but he can’t fix the lack of pass rush push up front. The trade for Adams in the offseason was an all-in move, so another all-in move at the deadline should be on the radar.
Seattle will have to do some cap maneuvering, or trade someone with some salary, to make room for most anyone they might trade for. Dunlap would fit nicely in a defensive end rotation for the Seahawks. The opportunity to possibly win a Super Bowl and play more (as if he could play less at this point and still be in uniform) would surely be to Dunlap’s liking.
1. Cleveland Browns
Myles Garrett leads the league in sacks with nine entering Week 8. But Olivier Vernon (zero sacks) and Adrian Clayborn (two sacks) have not made much impact opposite him, which hasn’t helped a struggling and injury-thinned secondary (288.1 passing yards allowed per game; 30th in the league).
The Browns seemed to recognize their need for another edge rusher during the offseason, with rumored interest in Jadeveon Clowney and Everson Griffen. The possibility of a trade for Griffen went away almost as fast as it came, with the Detroit Lions swinging a deal for him quickly after the Dallas Cowboys made him available this week.
With just over $31 million in cap space (the most in the league), the 5-2 Browns can take on money to address needs (defensive end, safety, wide receiver?). Cutting bait with Dunlap during the offseason if it doesn’t work would not be punitive in terms of dead money ($2.25 million).
The Browns have seen Dunlap twice this season, including Week 7 when he was hardly used as he’s seemingly on his way out the door in Cincinnati. But they can literally “look at the tape” from Week 2, when he still only played 30 snaps as a sign of things to come, to see if they think Dunlap has anything left.