There has been a lot of talk since the news broke that the Bengals were contacted about a possible trade for William Jackson III last season. Teams who are on a hot losing streak and in a rebuild will often consider unloading players entering into their final year of their contract. Does this mean that WJ3 is in the Bengals long-term plans?
WJ3 was drafted to be a true shutdown corner. He was known to be a man-to-man extraordinaire who you could put on the opposing teams best WR and remove him from the game. This was made popular by guys like Derrell Revis, Deion Sanders and Champ Bailey. The Bengals have not used WJ3 in this manner though and instead prefer to play a lot of zone defense. QBs tended to stay away from WJ3 though and when he was thrown at only allowed 39 completions all season. Instead they decided to feast on the not-so-great skills of Dre Kirkpatrick.
The following is a side-by-side comparison of Trae Waynes and WJ3:
| Year | G | Int | Tgt | Cmp | Cmp% | Yds | Yds/Cmp | Yds/Tgt | TD | Rat | Tackles | Missed | |
| Waynes | 2018 | 14 | 1 | 58 | 37 | 63.80% | 441 | 11.9 | 7.6 | 1 | 85.5 | 44 | 2.20% |
| 2019 | 14 | 1 | 96 | 71 | 74.00% | 719 | 10.1 | 7.5 | 5 | 107.9 | 58 | 7.90% | |
| WJ3 | 2018 | 16 | 0 | 77 | 44 | 57.10% | 566 | 12.9 | 7.4 | 7 | 110.6 | 41 | 16.30% |
| 2019 | 14 | 1 | 67 | 39 | 58.20% | 549 | 14.1 | 8.2 | 3 | 93.4 | 37 | 7.50% |
I did a comparison between Waynes and WJ3 because it will matter when it comes down to money. Waynes is currently the third highest paid cornerback in the NFL in the 4-3 scheme (9th overall). Let that sink in. Only Stephon Gilmore and Darius Slay have larger contracts than Waynes in the same defensive scheme. His 3 year/$42M deal nets Waynes $14M/year but it was front-loaded so that he would make $20M in 2020 and $11M in 2021 and 2022. Could this be a sign that WJ3 gets a new deal with a slight pay bump in 2020 and then flip-flops with Waynes as the highest paid corner on the team in 2021 and 2022?
WJ3 will likely command a 4 year/$60M deal. Are the Bengals willing to invest that much not only in the position but in one player? WJ3 would be the highest paid defensive player on the team and without new deals solidified for Mixon and Green would make him second behind just AJ Green. Only the Patriots invest this much in cornerback that play in a 4-3 scheme. The Bengals do show a lot of 3-4 scheme but with the addition of Reader having a front-4 offers a big advantage.
WJ3 says that he wants to be back in stripes. The Bengals clearly did not trade him for a reason. His stats suggest that he is a really good cornerback in the league. As always it is going to come down to money and what kind of season he puts together in 2020. They could also exercise his rookie option but financially they are better off re-signing him if they do want him long-term.