Why the Bengals should trade for Jonathan Taylor: First Word, Cincinnati's Morning Sports Show

Late last week, I suggested that I might not want the Bengals to trade for Jonathan Taylor. That was insane. I am going all the way back on that. I could not be more in on trading for Jonathan Taylor. The Bengals should be making calls for this move. Now, price can change things if the Colts are asking for, you know, a lot of draft capital or some kind of key player in this package. Obviously not at that point for the Bengals, but... Going down this path, picking up the phone, calling to see the availability on Jonathan Taylor with the Colts is something the Bengals should absolutely do. The money on the contract, Jonathan Taylor's age, all the stuff that was holding me up late last week when I said no, I've gotten over that at this point. What Jonathan Taylor can do for this team this season is bigger than the concerns moving forward. Those concerns lay in next year and even the year after as you talk about a potential extension that's necessary or guaranteed money in age 28 season for a running back in the NFL with so many carries already. But this year, this year Jonathan Taylor makes the Bengals significantly scarier. I don't think it's any question in my mind at this point with how good he's been this season. The Bengals proved it in Baltimore on Sunday in the second half. They're a legitimate contender in this league. We talked about it earlier this week. The Bengals ranked second in DVOA across the entire NFL. Top ten in all three phases. One of the very few things they're still at the bottom of the league in is that rushing offense. You fix that, we could be talking about one of the best teams in the entire league. I said no last week. I was wrong. It's time for the Bengals to trade for Jonathan Taylor. Why did you change? What made you, like, was there a moment on Sunday? Sunday certainly helped. Sunday certainly helped. I was probably as far out as possible around halftime. And then after the game, you get much more in. And I think when you look at the Bengals as a whole right now, where do they lack? And you look at these positions and the players that are available. Running back is obviously a huge piece of that. This run game is a huge concern. Jonathan Taylor can flip that right away. I don't know how many concerns I have about this Bengals offense outside of that. The offensive line has been one of the best in the league this year at protecting their quarterback. Joe Burrow's been upright, and when he's been cooking, he's been the best quarterback in the NFL so far this season. We've seen T. Higgins take a massive step. Jamar Chase still being productive as well. If you add Jonathan Taylor to this offense, you're talking about the greatest show on turf 2.0. This is going to be a lot of fun to watch, and I think I was so focused on the big picture. Last week, the contract moving forward. Next year, the year after. What's the drop-off for Jonathan Taylor after this season? Does it matter if Jonathan Taylor's wearing stripes and holding a Lombardi trophy at the beginning of February?