Bengals Named Top Trade Fit For Pair of Veteran Defensive Backs Ahead of 2026 Deadline

NFL contenders are always looking to improve, and Cincinnati could do that with a trade or two before the NFL's deadline on Nov. 10.

Pro Football Focus's Bradley Locker has two cornerbacks that are solid trade options for Cincinnati as the team works through injuries in that unit to start the season.

CB Additions?

Oct 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Jets cornerback Brandon Stephens (21) reacts after a play against the Chicago Bears during the third quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum and Jet CB Brandon Stephens were his top picks for Cincinnati.

McCollum has played 240 snaps this season with a 56.6 Pro Football Focus grade.

It would be pretty shocking to see the Bengals add a player in the first year of a three-year, $48 million contract extension.

"McCollum enjoyed a tremendous start to the 2024 season, but since then, his production has certainly waned," Locker wrote. "Over the first four games of 2026, McCollum sports just a 58.3 PFF coverage grade, although his passer rating against (80.4) and forced incompletion rate (13.3%) are both in at least the 60th percentile.

"In the first year of a three-year, $48 million extension, McCollum is another defender the Buccaneers could look to shed. The Steelers could reunite McCollum with Jamel Dean after trading away Porter, while the Lions urgently need more talent in their secondary. The Bears and Bengals could also make particular sense given McCollum’s superior man coverage work (69.4 PFF coverage grade) and their higher rates of utilizing the look, although McCollum was actually better in zone in 2024 and 2025."

Stephens is in the second year of a three-year, $36 million extension and has been playing better than McCollum.

He is mostly an outside cornerback, though, whereas Cincinnati probably needs more help in the slot. Stephens has experience inside but not nearly as much as his outside time clocked.

"Stephens has become an effective cornerback since joining the Jets last offseason," Locker noted. "Since the start of 2025, his 70.2 overall PFF grade ranks 14th out of 40 qualified corners. Stephens has also tightened up his coverage this year, with his 74.4 PFF coverage mark the ninth-highest at the position.

"How much the 1-3 Jets will sell is unknown, but general manager Darren Mougey always seems open for business. Given that Stephens is a 2028 free agent and the team drafted D’Angelo Ponds in the second round, a trade may not be that implausible. Pittsburgh and Detroit could have interest given their needs, while Stephens’ 88.7 man coverage grade would be enticing to Chicago and Cincinnati."

Time will tell if either player wears stripes this year, but more and more contenders are pushing in some chips at the trade deadline in recent years.

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