The Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs have a common problem, as all three teams could use more depth along the defensive line and rumors suggest they are looking for just that.
With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, keep an eye on the Cincinnati Bengals and defensive lineman McKinnley Jackson.
According to ESPN's Ben Baby, Jackson has requested a trade from Cincinnati just days before the Nov. 4 deadline.
"Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson has requested a trade or release, a source told ESPN on Thursday," Baby reported on Thursday.
A former third-round pick of the Bengals in 2024, Jackson appeared in 13 games last season but saw just 28.2% of snaps while tallying one sack, seven pressures and Pro Football Focus grades of 51.2 in the pass rush and 53.1 in run-blocking.
But Jackson has completely fallen out of favor in 2025, as he has been a healthy scratch in six of eight games and has played just six snaps on defense.
"He's got power, he's got knee bend, he's got strength," defensive coordinator Al Golden said of Jackson earlier this month. "I would love at some point for that to translate for us and get him going. So he's on that journey right now and he knows what he needs to do."
There isn't much to go on with Jackson and the fact that he hasn't been able to get playing time on Cincinnati's bad defense is certainly troubling.
However, that will also make Jackson cheap in a trade and the Cowboys, 49ers and Chiefs would be betting on potential.
With Jackson under contract through 2027, he could be a multi-year solution and there's plenty of time to keep developing him in the hopes he finally reaches his potential.
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