If Buffalo Bills fans want one of the Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive linemen, they need to be willing to significantly overpay. That’s according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. The Bengals have options that have appealed to Bills fans in DT Geno Atkins and DE Carlos Dunlap.
“I’m hearing a lot of chatter but asking prices seem unreasonable,” one NFC executive told Jones regarding the Bengals.
Dunlap, in particular, could add some juice to the Bills’ pass rush and has been vocal about his lack of playing time in Cincinnati. He even went so far as to publicly discuss his demotion on Instagram. Salary-wise, the 31-year-old doesn’t make much sense for the Bills. He is owed $4 million for the remainder of the season and his salary for next year is over $10 million. They would likely have to trade a player with salary back to the Bengals (like Trent Murphy), too.
Atkins doesn’t seem to be the scheme fit that the Bills need. Like Ed Oliver, Atkins plays 3-tech defensive tackle and Buffalo has a bunch of those guys behind Oliver. What they need is a 1-tech defensive tackle to eat up blockers and clog lanes, allowing the linebackers to do their thing. He also would be incredibly expensive for this season and beyond; the 32-year-old’s salary would be roughly $6 million in 2020 and $11 million in 2021, though that isn’t guaranteed.
Neither of these players make sense for the Buffalo Bills even with low compensation going back to the Bengals. Earlier this week we profiled New York Giants DT Dalvin Tomlinson, who would be a better choice in virtually every way. Buffalo could also look to improve at slot cornerback with Desmond King of the Los Angeles Chargers or Brian Poole of the New York Jets.