Cincinnati Bengals–Washington Commanders Trade History
TradeVerdicts records 5 trades between
Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders across 1971–1998. Historical
franchise identities are normalized to the current franchises here,
while each underlying trade keeps its own sourced date, assets,
grades, and verdict.
This page includes every public TradeVerdicts record in which both
current franchises participate. Multi-team trades remain in the
chronology when both clubs are part of the transaction.
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Complete Matchup Chronology
5 Recorded Trades
Oldest to newest
Trade 1
May 7, 1971
Even Trade
Cincinnati BengalsD+
Washington CommandersD+
Cincinnati Bengals received
Henry Dyer
Washington Commanders received
Sam Wyche
Cincinnati acquired Henry Dyer, but his NFL regular-season record ends with Washington in 1970. The available evidence therefore does not show meaningful Bengals game production after the trade. Cincinnati received the player, but not a durable on-field return, which keeps its grade near the bottom of the scale.
Cincinnati sent Lemar Parrish and Coy Bacon to Washington for a 1979 first-round pick, which became No. 12 overall and running back Charles Alexander. Alexander spent seven seasons with the Bengals and accumulated more than 2,600 rushing yards, giving Cincinnati meaningful value. The return still fell short of the immediate two-veteran impact Washington received.
Washington traded punter Jeff Hayes to Cincinnati on August 19, 1986. Contemporary reporting called the return future considerations, while Bengals historical material describes undisclosed cash. Cincinnati received the only clearly measurable football asset, but the limited scale and unknown cash amount keep the hindsight verdict modest: Bengals win, C+ to C.
Cincinnati traded picks No. 4 and No. 58 to Washington for Nos. 6, 28 and 84 in the 1992 draft. The Bengals selected David Klingler, Darryl Williams and Leonard Wheeler, while Washington took Desmond Howard at No. 4 and quickly moved No. 58 to Dallas. Klingler's failure as Cincinnati's hoped-for franchise quarterback outweighed the useful Williams selection, leaving Washington with the better side.
Cincinnati traded defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson to Washington in February 1998 for the 17th and 78th picks. The Bengals selected linebacker Brian Simmons and guard Mike Goff, both long-term starters, while Wilkinson gave Washington several solid seasons in the middle of its defensive line. Washington received a useful veteran, but Cincinnati turned one player into two durable building blocks and wins the trade in hindsight.
