IIRC the Bengals need D-Line help. I wouldn't mind packaging Merling into a trade offer for Carson Palmer, making room for keeping Tony McDaniel on the roster. Seems like a win-win to me.

 

The Bengals need help on the interior of the D-line, if anything - I'm not sure Phillip Merling fits that bill. And Carson Palmer's not going anywhere.

 

"Salguero also writes that the Bengals may be coming around on the idea of trading Palmer. Although Bengals owner Mike Brown has indicated that he has no intention of trading his franchise quarterback, that might change when the lockout ends, if Palmer continues to insist that he’ll retire rather than play for the Bengals again.

Until the lockout ends, any talk of Palmer’s future is pure speculation. But we’ll start to get a better idea of where things are heading after the draft: If the Bengals take a quarterback in the first or second round, they’re clearly preparing for life without Palmer, and they may turn their attention to figuring out which teams would be interested in Palmer’s services. The Dolphins could make sense as a trading partner."

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/04/06/more-talk-of-carson-palmer-to-the-dolphins/

 

My favorite option at upgrading the pass rush is Wallace Gilberry. He's not a particularly exciting pick-up on the face of it, but he had 7-sacks last year as a 268 pound Nickel package DT substitute, without managing to be a huge liability in the run game. That's the kind of thing Justin Tuck gives you when he kicks into the interior. I think he could also potentially be a Matt Roth style SOLB, and kick from OLB to DT.

 

I can't believe how many people are of the opinion that they might have actually let Palmer retire rather than trade him.

 

Depends on how they use Michael Johnson. Odom missed a lot of time last year. I imagine Dontay Moch will take away snaps from someone (I'd assume Robert Geathers) in pass-rushing situations, and Carlos Dunlap really came on strong the last half of the season with 9.5 sacks. They have some options to play with at the DE position. In the middle, Domata Peko is solid, but Tank Johnson's age is showing and Pat Sims hasn't been what they've hoped he would be.

 

Just going off the info I have from someone with ties to the Bengals. Until I hear different, I'll bank on Mike Brown's ineptitude as an owner/GM prevailing.

 

Why not? Brown is stubborn as ****, and he does not want to open the door for others asking out of Cinci. The Redskins did all they could to pry Ocho away, but Brown refused all offers and kept him. He does not want to open that pandora's box.

 

In that scenario I see Starks going before Merling. Starks and a pick for Palmer might be enticing enough for them.

 

It's not the same thing. Ochocinco wasn't an all or nothing prospect as Palmer appears to be. They expected to retain Ochocinco as a player, almost certainly overvaluing him in regards to what was offered by the Redskins, but you certainly can't characterize them acting out of stubbornness or spite. In fact, they went so far as to pick up Terrell Owens, whom he was lobbying for in the off-season.