Chad Johnson is staying in Cincinnati… but why?

It appears all that talk about Chad Johnson being shipped to the Washington Redskins is bogus, not matter how much Chad Johnson may want a trade. But when you step back and look at the Bengals situation… trading Chad Johnson makes sense.

 

The Bengals haven’t been a disappointment over the last few years because of a lack of offense. On the contrary. Their offense has always had the potential to be on the elite units in the NFL. The way I see it, the Bengals have 2 problems:

1. Defense
2. Character

So why not trade Chad Johnson and get pieces that help your team in problem areas? Trading Chad Johnson (to the Redskins no less) is sure to garner some type of defensive talent or a high draft pick that you wouldn’t normally have. Also, Johnson being out of the locker room gives Carson Palmer TOTAL control over a team that seems to be lacking in leadership (Palmer crying to the media isn’t leadership). Not only that, but the AFC North is a pretty tough division. Pittsburgh is going to be solid on both ends of the ball, the Browns D may suck but their O is explosive, and the Ravens are going to get better if they get ANYBODY that can play the QB position. So it seems to me that getting rid of Chad Johnson now would launch your franchise a few years ahead of schedule when it comes to building a defense, and could potentially turn around a locker room full of chronic public offenders into a functional team.

Lets break down the Pros and Cons shall we?

Pro:
Launch franchise into the future with draft picks
Better chemistry in the locker room
Defensive progression ahead of schedule
Stay competitive in AFC North
Carson Palmer truly takes over the team
Saves Marvin Lewis’ job

Con:
1,400 yard
Funny dances after a touchdown

Am I missing something here? PULL THE TRIGGER!