Should the Bengals consider trading for Jordan Hicks?

Trade talks usually heat up in August, but have been slow so far this year.

The staff of the Post Route highlighted four defensive players that they think could be traded by the start of the season, with the Bengals being on the receiving end of one trade in particular.

They said that Jordan Hicks, out of Lakota West High School, could find his way back to southwest Ohio.

Since the Cardinals drafted Zaven Collins in the 2021 draft, Hicks has been moved to the bench. He has been given permission to seek a trade, and there might be some interest in moving to Cincinnati.

Here’s what the Post Route said:

The Bengals’ linebacking corps is one of the least regarded, and youngest, in the NFL. Their current starters, Germaine Pratt (2019) and Logan Wilson (2020), entered the league in just the last couple of years. Hicks wouldn’t simply provide leadership to that group, but to the entire Cincinnati defense — one in which 26-year-old Vonn Bell is considered a grizzled vet and the longest-tenured starters are Sam Hubbard and Jessie Bates III, both of whom were drafted in 2018.

If acquired, Hicks could take on the leadership role that Josh Bynes had in 2020.

However, unlike Bynes, Hicks probably wouldn’t be a starter.

The Post Route writers think that Hicks would compete with Pratt or Wilson for a starting spot, but in reality, those two spots are locked down. The Bengals are happy with the starters that they have, even though both projected starters are third-round picks.

While the Bengals would be glad to have Hicks in the linebacker room, he probably wouldn’t want to move from a bench in Glendale to a bench in Cincinnati.