After the Cincinnati Bengals and Jessie Bates failed to reach a deal, the Indianapolis Colts were named as a possible trade destination.
Recently, safety Jessie Bates and the Cincinnati Bengals failed to reach a deal on a long-term contract before the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players. That means Bates will have to play the 2022 season on the franchise tag or he can sit out the entire season. There’s also another option. The Bengals could trade Bates to a team willing to meet his contract demands.
Bates is a star safety and was a critical part of the Cincinnati defense that helped the Bengals make a Super Bowl appearance last season. Surely, several teams are monitoring his situation to see if he will become available for trade.
Are the Indianapolis Colts one of those teams? They’ve already made a couple of big trades this offseason do they have one more in them? Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports thinks they might. In a recent article naming eight potential trade destinations for Bates, Benjamin named Indy as one of the teams the safety could end up with.
Should the Colts trade for Jessie Bates?
Benjamin’s reasoning for naming Indianapolis as a potential trade destination is that he feels the strength of the team is the defense but that the safety unit is the only group without “a bona fide stud.” Benjamin goes on to say, “Rodney McLeod is solid, if better suited as the No. 3, and he’s a rental anyway. Julian Blackmon, meanwhile, is promising but coming off a torn Achilles.”
Additionally, Benjamin highlights Bates’ Fort Wayne, Indiana origins as a bonus reason this could be a good pairing for both parties.
Benjamin makes fair points, Bates would currently be the best safety on the Colts, however, it seems unlikely that the team will trade for him. While his presence will help a stacked defense become even more loaded, Indy may be content with what it already has.
While Rodney McLeod is likely just a temporary depth piece, there seems to be great optimism in Indianapolis about the future of Julian Blackmon. He had a very promising rookie year and seems to be progressing well from his Achilles injury sustained last season.
It’s hard to imagine the Colts will move on from Blackmon by trading for Jessie Bates and extending him to a big contract. However, if Indy does make this surprising move, its star-studded defense could be dominant for years.
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