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Edge rushers are flashy, there’s no doubt, like that new Ferrari you might see blowing by you on the highway as you are trying to get your kids to practice. But they’re also expensive. And if you have to be smart with your money, they might not be the wisest choice especially if you’re navigating inclement weather.
That’s why when Bengals stars Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase dropped the names of two potential superstar trade candidates, one of them instantly stood out. And it wasn’t the guy you might think.
Jeffrey Simmons represents a massive upgrade at the defensive tackle position, one that the Bengals have not gotten much production out of for quite some time. They were particularly ineffective at rushing the passer. Among qualifying players Kris Jenkins ranked 125th in PFFs pass rush grade. Starters BJ Hill and TJ Slaton were not much better, ranking 59th and 86th respectively.
If the Bengals were to trade for Simmons they’d be getting one of the best defensive tackles in the league. His 11 sacks, 19.4% pass rush win rate, and 91.4 pass rush grade were all the highest of any interior rusher in all of the NFL. Simmons’ numbers alone (in terms of sacks and pressers) were better than all three of the Bengals top interior linemen combined.
The only thing standing in the way of this blockbuster opportunity to remake the Bengals defense? That would be the Tennessee Titans themselves, who have made it clear to many league insiders that Simmons is essentially untouchable. They rightly see him as a cornerstone of their defense, the same way they treat quarterback Cam Ward on the offensive side of the ball.
And Simmons’ contract runs through 2028. He’s currently in the middle of a four-year $94 million dollar extension that he signed in 2023, meaning there’s still plenty of value left for the Titans on this deal. So while in a hypothetical trade scenario, and in a perfect world, Jeffrey Simmons is the player I would want to go all in for given the Bengals’ desperate need at the position, all signs point to it bein a non-starter.
While a trade for Simmons may be a fantasy fever dream, the other player Higgins and Chase mentioned targeting in a trade could actually happen, if the Bengals are willing to pay the price. That player, is of course, edge Maxx Crosby, currently a Las Vegas Raider. Crosby is also one of the best at his position. Last season, while playing through injury most of the year, he had 10 sacks, 73 total tackles, and a career-high 28 tackles for loss in just 15 games. In his seven years in the NFL Crosby has amassed 69.5 career sacks to go along with 439 tackles, 133 tackles for loss, and 11 forced fumbles.
But unlike Simmons, Crosby is itching to find a new team. After the Raiders shut him down for the final two games of the season, he walked out of the team’s facility in protest of the decision. The relationship has not improved since that incident, and many NFL insiders can see the writing on the wall that Crosby’s time in Las Vegas has pretty much run its course. For their part, the Raiders have the first-overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The expectation is that they will take Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza, which will mark an opportunity for the team to start fresh and rebuild around the most important position on the field.
Crosby is just 28 years old. Just this year he signed a three-year, $106.5 million contract extension, which means that he comes with an extremely high price tag. And that’s just in terms of his salary, and not even taking into consideration the haul that the Raiders will no doubt ask for in return. Some NFL writers estimate that the Raiders might seek a package even more lucrative than what the Green Bay Packers gave up to acquire Micah Parsons (two first-round picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark), largely due to the years remaining on Crosby’s contract.
But there are complications for the Raiders, as Bengals fans know all too well. Namely that Crosby obviously wants out of Las Vegas, and the rest of the NFL knows it. The same was/is true for Cincinnati’s own star edge, Trey Hendrickson. Any trade partner for Crosby likely understands that the Raiders don’t want the mess of a holdout on their hands and would be eager to get what they can and move on, which could mean a reduction in the return they get in a trade. The last thing a rebuilding team wants is a high-salary star either not playing, or causing distractions (whether they mean to or not). While that doesn’t mean that the Raiders will sell Crosby for a pittance, it is something that a team like the Bengals, with cap flexibility, could try to use to their advantage in negotiations.
While (at least now) it seems unlikely that the Bengals will pull the trigger on a trade that would require this much capital, it is important to note where this conversation all started: two current Cincinnati stars in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. They are certainly aware of the degree to which the public and the front office pays attention to their public comments. And the fact that they took the time to float the idea of a trade for much-needed proven defensive talent says something about the mentality of these players.
As has been discussed so often in the past, the best offensive players in the NFL have to be tired of seeing their best efforts wasted because their defensive counterparts cannot hold opponents to less than thirty points per game. Make no mistake, Cincinnati has put enormous effort into fixing those issues, and look no further than the expenditure of two first round picks on edge rushers Myles Murhpy and Shemar Stewart. And while it is too early to render judgment on the ultimate success of those picks, it does make it all that much harder to sacrifice to such to obtain a player like Maxx Crosby when so much of the team’s future is tied up at that same position. That’s why, if he were even remotely available, Simmons is the better trade option here.
But as of right now, though, all of this is just talk between two star receivers. I don’t blame them for aiming high in terms of talent acquisition for this defense, because it is exactly what the Bengals brass should be spending every waking hour focusing on. Finding creative and impactful ways to improve this defense through free agency or trades must be a top priority because the need is for proven veteran players on defense is real. The Bengals have the money, they just need the players now.
