3 unexpected trades the Bucs could make to stay atop NFC South

A quarter of the way through the season, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 3-1 sitting pretty atop the NFC South.

But, will they be able to keep it that way? And if they do, can the Bucs really make any noise come the postseason?

If Tampa Bay wanted to further cement themselves as a division favorite, they could choose to be buyers at this year's trade deadline. And, in a perfect world, maybe they would choose to surprise the fan base by going after one of these three guys.

Trade Number 1: A bold player-for-player deal, plus picks

The Cincinnati Bengals are an interesting case, right now. They look like an absolute mess. Is Joe Burrow truly no where close to 100 percent? Is there an issue with Tee Higgins that we don't know about?

Regardless, something needs to change. Maybe, just maybe, a deal like this could be worked out.

Both Mike Evans and Tee Higgins are hurt at the moment, and we're not sure if it will be a lengthy recovery for either one. However, Higgins is an interesting situation, as he is in the last year of his rookie contract and the Bengals haven't worked out a new deal just yet.

Cincinnati is also going to have to pay Ja'Marr Chase eventually, and paying top dollar to two wide receivers might not be the best idea, at least in the long-term. For the Bucs, though, inking Higgins to a long-term deal might just make sense. They have Chris Godwin through the 2024 season but are going to let Evans walk, for sure.

Netting Higgins gives them a future at the position while giving Burrow a sure fire, big play threat in Evans to make a run at a Super Bowl. Cincinnati also gets a pair of second-round picks, although they could come back and ask for a first rounder which would make things difficult.