When going through the list of the 122 trades the Cincinnati Bengals have made in franchise history, the ones that haven’t worked out far outweigh the ones that have.
But at the far ends of the spectrum, there are more great trades than awful ones.
Still, there are enough bad ones to compile a list.
Ranking the Worst Trades in Cincinnati Bengals History
Older fans often point to the decision to trade Bill Bergey to Philadelphia as being among Cincinnati’s worst trades because the linebacker was voted All-Pro in each of his first two years with the Eagles while also going to four Pro Bowls and starting 91 of a possible 104 games in seven seasons with his new team.
But that might be the most even trade in team history. What’s forgotten is what the Bengals got in return for Bergey: two first-round picks and a second-rounder.
An issue was that the trade, which happened in July 1974, didn’t return value until 1977. But with the picks the team received, Cincinnati drafted defensive end Wilson Whitley (79 starts in six seasons) with the No. 8 pick in 1977 and defensive end Ross Browner (123 starts, 62.5 sacks in nine seasons) with the No. 8 pick in 1978.
And the second-rounder, No. 35 in 1978, was cornerback Ray Griffin, who played 88 games during seven seasons in Cincinnati.
Bergey went to the Super Bowl with the Eagles in 1980. Whitley, Browner, and Griffin were on the 1981 Bengals team that went to the Super Bowl.
It might be one of the greatest win-win trades in NFL history, so it’s worth mentioning given that it doesn’t fit on the best or worst lists for the Bengals.
As for the worst trades in Cincinnati history, here they are:
7) Acquired the No. 1 Pick From Carolina for Nos. 5 and 36 — April 22, 1995
There was some debate about whether Ki-Jana Carter should be included on the list of worst draft picks in Bengals history, so there is no doubt some people don’t believe this trade should make the list either.
From the standpoint of the trade value chart everyone uses today, the Bengals came out ahead strictly on draft capital, but injuries derailed Carter’s career and colored this decision differently.
What makes it worthy of being on the worst trade list is the Bengals could have held on to Pick 36, stayed at No. 5, and drafted one of a handful of running backs who ended up with better careers than Carter — who amassed just 747 rushing yards, 1,122 scrimmage yards, and 16 touchdowns in four seasons with the Bengals.
That list includes No. 17 Tyrone Wheatley (10 seasons, 5,862 rushing yards, 47 touchdowns), No. 18 Napolean Kaufman (six seasons, 5,899 scrimmage yards, 17 touchdowns), and No. 19 James Stewart (eight seasons, 7,586 scrimmage yards, 57 touchdowns).
6) Acquired a 4th-Round Pick From San Francisco for a 4th and a Pair of 6ths — April 27, 2019
The Bengals rarely trade up in the draft, so jumping six spots in the fourth round in Zac Taylor’s first draft in 2019 made it feel as though they were going after someone they really liked.
But they couldn’t have been more wrong as the selection was quarterback Ryan Finley, who made three disastrous starts as a rookie and one memorable one in 2020 before flaming out of the league.
Instead of taking Finley with Pick 104, the Bengals could have selected defensive end Maxx Crosby (106) or cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson (105).
And with the two sixth-round picks they gave away to get Finley — Nos. 183 and 198 — they could have selected linebacker and Cincinnati native David Long (67 games, 43 starts), safety Marcus Epps (79 games, 42 starts), tackle Oli Udoh (43 games, 18 starts), or defensive linemen Armon Watts (72 games, 22 starts) and Isaiah Buggs (56 games, 23 starts).
"I'm confident in my ability to play and I'm confident in this team's ability to bounce back and get some wins." – QB Ryan Finley#Bengals Locker Room | @GEICO pic.twitter.com/1lRoi6pTbV
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals)
5) Acquired Reggie Rembert From the New York Jets for Joe Kelly and Scott Jones — Aug. 27, 1990
The New York Jets selected Reggie Rembert with the No. 28 pick in 1990 but were unable to agree to terms with the wide receiver, so they dealt him to the Bengals for starting linebacker Joe Kelly and backup offensive lineman Scott Jones.
Kelly played another seven seasons in the league (only three with the Jets) after the trade, appearing in 98 games with 58 starts.
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Rembert played three seasons with the Bengals and was barely a factor, playing in only 28 games (four starts) while catching just 36 passes for 437 yards and a touchdown.
The receiver never had more than 50 yards in a game, and he was out of the league following the 1993 season.
4) Acquired a 2nd-Round Pick and a Pair of 4ths From New England for a 2nd— April 30, 2021
Desperate for offensive line help, the Bengals traded back eight spots with some quality tackles available and picked Jackson Carman.
The team has given the Cincinnati area native multiple chances to start, but he’s been beaten out repeatedly in previous OTAs and training camps and has started just six games. And none since his rookie year.
By moving from No. 38 to 46, the Bengals missed out on tackle Teven Jenkins (two-year starter in Chicago), Liam Eichenberg (three-year starter in Miami), and Walker Little (current starter in Jacksonville).
Making the trade worse is what the Bengals did with the two fourth-round picks they received, drafting defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin (five games played and out of the league since 2022) and offensive lineman D’Ante Smith (still on the roster but has only appeared in three games).
"I couldn't think of a better scenario than to end up back in the city that I'm from, the city that I love." – Jackson Carman pic.twitter.com/IRxZhQRcSF
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals)
3) Acquired Coy Bacon From San Diego for Charlie Joiner — April 2, 1976.
Yes, Coy Bacon recorded an unofficial 22 sacks in his first season with the Bengals, but he was already 34 years old and would last just two seasons in Cincinnati, recording only 5.5 sacks in 1977.
Charlie Joiner, meanwhile, was 28 and coming off a career-high 727 receiving yards in 1975. He went on to play 11 seasons with the San Diego Chargers on his way to enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He smashed his career high with 1,056 yards in his first season in San Diego, and Joiner topped 1,000 yards three other times while amassing 9,203 yards and 47 touchdowns with the Chargers.
2) Acquired a 1st- and a 4th-Round Pick From St. Louis for a 1st — April 24, 2004.
Two weeks before the move, the Bengals owned the No. 17 pick but moved back to No. 24 to land cornerback Deltha O’Neal in what turned out to be one of the best trades in franchise history.
If they only would have stopped there.
Instead, when they were on the clock at No. 24 and running back Steven Jackson was available for the Bengals to draft, they instead traded back again, dropping two spots to get an extra fourth-round pick.
The St. Louis Rams took Jackson, who rushed for eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and a total of 15,121 scrimmage yards and 78 touchdowns during a 12-year career.
The Bengals drafted Chris Perry, who appeared in 35 games during his four-year career and amassed a grand total of 1,080 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns.
1) Acquired Cordy Glenn and a 1st-Round Pick From Buffalo for a 1st and a 6th — March 14, 2018.
What looked like a good trade at the time ended up being a disaster when the Bengals agreed to take on temperamental offensive tackle Cordy Glenn by simply moving back nine spots in the first round of the draft and giving up a sixth-round pick.
Cincinnati ignored reports about Glenn’s capricious behavior and lack of motivation, and it bit them. After he started 13 games in 2018, Glenn nursed/faked a concussion in 2019 after getting moved to guard to make way for first-round pick Jonah Williams.
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The team eventually sent Glenn home from practice one day and suspended him for a game. He appeared in only six games in 2019 and never played in the league again.
Adding to the dubious nature of the trade was the fact that moving back nine spots cost Cincinnati a chance to draft its desired target, center Frank Ragnow, who went one pick ahead of them to the Detroit Lions at No. 20.
The Bengals settled for center Billy Price, who had torn a pectoral muscle at the NFL Scouting Combine a few months earlier and ended up starting 19 games in three seasons, eventually losing his job to undrafted center Trey Hopkins.
Price hadn’t played in a game since 2022 and was forced to retire earlier this year due to complications from a blood clot.
Ragnow is a three-time Pro Bowler who has started 80 games and is the second-highest-paid center in the league.
