Billy Price for B.J. Hill: One of the most impactful NFL trades of 2021

Back in August, the Cincinnati Bengals traded former first round pick Billy Price after he never lived up to his NFL Draft position in the Queen City.

To many, the trade seemed to not be such a big deal. An offensive lineman that couldn’t find a home at guard or center being swapped for a defensive tackle not many people had heard of. The move coming in late August seemed fairly insignificant.

Fast-forward to now, and you’ll find the trade worked out pretty well for both Cincinnati and the New York Giants.

Price found his way into a consistent starting role and was able to put together a solid season for himself and a new team. Although the Giants had another down year, it was nice to see Price be able to string together consecutive good performances and find a role.

But by far the true impact of this trade came for the Bengals. In what has overall been a healthy season for the Bengals, no position group has been hit harder than defensive tackle, testing the team’s depth and Hill has been there to answer the bell all season.

Through 19 games, Hill has notched 50 combined tackles and 5.5 sacks while recording a 70.4 PFF grade, one of the highest of any Bengals defender this season.

Hill saved his biggest impact for the biggest moment of the season, tipping and picking a Patrick Mahomes pass, putting the offense in prime position to tie the game with 2:19 remaining in the third quarter.

A few plays later, Joe Burrow found Ja’Marr Chase for a touchdown and then Trent Taylor for the two point conversion. All of this because Hill put himself in the right place at the right time.

A trade near roster cutdown day in late August becomes a trade that has significant impact for the Bengals in late January and has proven to be one of the most impactful trades of the entire NFL season.

This is also one of many reasons why Duke Tobin should win NFL Executive of the Year.