The Bengals Need to Trade for Carrington Valentine

The Bengals Need to Trade for Carrington Valentine

If the Bengals are serious about a deep playoff run, they need to make a move on defense before the deadline. The clock is ticking: the trade deadline for the 2026 season is November 10 at 1 p.m., which is the Tuesday following Week 9 of the season. The guy I want them to call about is Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine. On tape, he has everything you want in a man-to-man corner. Watch his rep against George Pickens: he reads the curl, crashes on it and comes away with a great interception. His coverage has been sticky in man for his whole career. He also had some good reps against Ja’Marr Chase in 2025, so the Bengals have seen up close what he can do. And I love that this dude talks a ton of trash. He plays with an edge this defense could use.

The fit makes sense off the field too. He’s 6-foot, 190 pounds and only 25, and he’s a Cincinnati native who played his high school ball at Moeller. He’s been a real contributor despite coming in as a late pick. Valentine, a former seventh-round pick in 2023, is entering the fourth and final season of his rookie contract in 2026 and has started 30 games for Green Bay across his first three years in the league. He’s also cheap, with a 2026 cap hit of $3,699,176. His tackling is the biggest question mark. It’s been bad in spurts, and he’ll need to clean that up. But you can coach tackling. You can’t coach the kind of coverage instincts he’s shown. Shoutout to my guy Malik for putting me on Valentine back in the draft.

If Valentine isn’t the guy, another name I’ll throw out is Chargers corner Donte Jackson. He has 24 career interceptions, he’s in the final year of his deal, and I like him a lot. Either way, Cincinnati can’t stand still at this deadline.