Cleveland Browns lose out on Takk McKinley to Bengals

Cleveland Browns lose Takk McKinley as he’s going to Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals claimed Takk McKinley on waivers from Atlanta on Wednesday, superseding any potential Cleveland Browns claim by virtue of having a poorer won-lost record.

The former first round draft pick had worn out his welcome in Atlanta, which has had a spectacularly unsuccessful season, losing several close games in the closing moments.

They are 3-6 even though the opposition has outscored them by only eight points for the season.

The Bengals desperately needed help, especially after evicting Carlos Dunlap, who was traded to Seattle after expressing great unhappiness with his lack of playing time. Acquiring former first round draft pick McKinley answers that need and possibly is an upgrade for the balance of the season. His new team has the opportunity to convince McKinley to make Cincinnati his home, much like the Browns did with Jamie Collins.

The Bengals are not tanking for draft position. Even though they are 2-5-1, they have not quite given up on a Wild Card. With seven playoff spots this season, an 8-7-1 record has an outside chance of getting a playoff berth if several other crazy things also happen. Consider that the Bengals have been outscored by their opponents by 20 points so far this season. The Browns, on the other hand, have been outscored by 31 points.

Based on point differential, then, the Bengals are actually slightly more impressive than the Browns, and it is not crazy to think that the Ohio teams might post eight or nine wins between the two of them in the second half of the season. Conversely, the Steelers (8-0)  and Ravens (6-2) are an incredible 14-2 between the two of them for the first half of the season, but they may find it difficult to maintain that torrid pace.

The Bengals and Browns are done playing each other this season, but the Bengals have two games remaining against Pittsburgh and one against Baltimore. Cleveland has one game remaining versus both Pittsburgh and Baltimore. It isn’t crazy to think that a divisional upset or two could occur along the way.

The Takk McKinley acquisition tells us that the Bengals are going to augment a struggling defense, and it is impossible to count out the Bengals offense as long as Joe Burrow is healthy. The Bengals seem to be intent on trying to kill him by not providing pass coverage but so far, he has foiled their plot. He may survive his first season and live to put up numbers because he is that good.

It would be a shock to see him get the team all the way to a Wild Card in his first year, but no doubt the Bengals are going to try to go on a little run for the second half of the season. Thus having a player of McKinley’s talent level in Cincinnati is a big deal for them.

Other significance that can be attached to move is that the following teams had priority over the Bengals and did not make a claim, meaning that they are in tank mode for draft position: The New York Jets (face it, no one does it like the Jets), Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington, Los Angeles Chargers, and even the Houston Texans, the Browns opponents on Sunday. The Texans do not have a first-round draft pick in 2021.

In fact, they do not even have a second-round pick in 2021. What is going on here? The Texans should tank if they had the draft picks to tank with, but they do not. That is hard to understand, unless they feel that their salary cap situation next year is so bad that they can entertain any hope of enticing him to stay.

The main takeaway is that the Bengals acquisition of Takkarist McKinley says that they have not given up on the season despite their poor record. They are not tanking and will try to win as many games as they can, with the idea that they want to learn how to contend in 2021. The AFC North will continue to be highly competitive and one of the winningest divisions in the NFL.

Pittsburgh and Baltimore seem to have a comfortable lead over both Cleveland and Cincinnati, but footballs take funny bounces in the AFC North. It is way too early to think about playoffs, but for sure there is no reason to give up on the dream of winning it all.

If the Browns or Bengals want to go on a run, however, they will need to continue to improve to reach the level that the Ravens and Steelers are at. But never say never.