Someday, somewhere, a team will assist Kyle Pitts. He may not be the “unicorn” advertised entering the NFL, but the Atlanta Falcons bear some responsibility for not figuring it, and him, out.
When and where may a tight end succeed? With the Cincinnati Bengals? Sure.
But that shouldn’t – and wouldn’t – come at the steep cost of trading away unhappy holdout Trey Hendrickson.
Oh, and by the way, it shouldn’t – and wouldn’t – necessitate the bizarre manipulations that Bleacher Report’s overly intricate three-team transaction does.
Here’s how B/R want it to work: Hendrickson would join the Indianapolis Colts, DeForest Buckner would be traded to the Atlanta Falcons, and Kyle Pitts would be sent to Cincinnati.
Each notion deserves its own mini-argument.
Money aside, the Colts would adore Hendrickson.
Aside from the bad stats, the Bengals and Joe Burrow may have some fun with Pitts.
Why would Atlanta want Buckner? No, we don’t receive that one…
So, first, let’s get out of the three-way. There’s a strange red herring here.
Logically, this should be two different transactions. There’s no need for pretzel logic.
Hendrickson goes someplace. (Bengals fans do not care where). Atlanta? If Atlanta wants Buckner (as B/R thinks), they will undoubtedly want Trey.
And Pitts visits Cincinnati. In exchange for what? Well, not Hendrickson; that’s nowhere near equivalent value. To accomplish this, the Falcons would have to pay the Bengals here in the capital.
So, two deals.
The Bengals trade Hendrickson for something that will improve their defense. (Because without him, they’ll need it.)
In addition, the Bengals have called Atlanta to offer a mid-round draft pick for Pitts, a 24-year-old semi-bust tight end.
Not a single agreement. Two deals.
But let’s be clear: when B/R says, “Cincinnati can still move Hendrickson and probably should”? They are wrong. The Bengals defense, without a player who averages 17.5 sacks per game, should not be relocated. He should be signed.
And that is the best Pitts-related concept we have here. Learn what it takes to get Pitts. Find out what it takes to sign Hendrickson, with no pretzeling required.
The Bengals will explore what they can do to strengthen their defensive core, but if a trade is their final alternative, it would be wise to avoid complicating matters further by sticking with a single trade partner.
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