Overview

• Cincinnati’s protection issues escalated after a 48-10 loss to Minnesota left the team 2-1, with Joe Burrow injured in Week 2 and Jake Browning sacked four times on Sunday.
• Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox recommends the Bengals trade for Raiders lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson as an in-season interior upgrade.
• Knox points to Las Vegas reducing Powers-Johnson’s role, with Jordan Meredith starting at center and Alex Cappa taking the Week 3 start at guard after Powers-Johnson returned from a concussion.
• The proposed compensation is a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick that could become a third-rounder based on playing time.
• A 2024 second-rounder and Remington Trophy winner who started 14 games with strong rookie metrics, Powers-Johnson is also linked by analysts to the Lions, and no formal trade talks have been reported.