Bengals Veteran Emerges as Preseason Trade Candidate

"The Cincinnati Bengals revamped their defensive line this offseason, trading for Dexter Lawrence II and signing both Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen. The change has been palpable in early camp practices," Knox wrote. "With several new pieces in place along Cincinnati's defensive front, the Bengals should try offloading one of their holdovers, specifically, T.J. Slaton.

"Slaton started all 17 games for the Bengals last season and recorded 52 tackles and three sacks. However, he was graded just 116th overall among defensive linemen by Pro Football Focus and is now headed toward a reserve role. The Bengals could expect a reasonable return from a team lacking depth at defensive tackle. They could also save $6.7 million in cap space by moving Slaton, who is in the final year of his contract."

Slaton is currently listed as one of the backup defensive tackles on the Bengals' depth chart, but he could soon be lapped by players like Landon Robinson and Kris Jenkins. Slaton is on an expiring contract, and it would save the Bengals nearly $7 million by making a move.

Slaton is a valuable depth piece for the Bengals, but he's certainly replaceable. He's solid depth, but the Bengals have plenty of depth.

Last season, Slaton was one of the worst-graded defensive tackles in terms of PFF grade. He ranked 116th out of 134 defensive tackles with a 44 PFF grade. The Bengals wouldn't miss that kind of production. If they can land a draft pick and clear his contract from the books, it would be a massive win.