Plenty of noise has been made about the Cincinnati Bengals suffering a setback during the 2019 NFL draft when the Pittsburgh Steelers traded up in front of them to No. 10 for Michigan linebacker Devin Bush.

But was it really?

The Bengals went into the draft looking like a team poised to take a linebacker at No. 11. But since then, all evidence has pointed to Duke Tobin and Co. never really wanting to go that way.

The quote below from offensive line coach Jim Turner suggests Jonah Williams was — and was perhaps always — the top player on their board. Of course, what else would they say after the event, right?

But other things have hinted this.

Those Bengals — after taking Williams at No. 11 — were looking to trade back up in the early second round to take another offensive lineman. This isn’t speculation: the team’s official website confirmed it. So even after landing Williams, the Bengals were looking to upgrade again.

And recall, the Bengals ended up trading down from No. 42 when the linemen came off the board early in the second round. They could have easily taken Jahlani Tavai, a linebacker that went at No. 43. They ended up ignoring linebacker until the third round with Germaine Pratt.

This is probably another case of outsiders really not having a clue what an NFL teams want to do. And the Steelers helped, making sure Williams fell to them at No. 11. The team they traded with, after all, was a Broncos squad viewed as a candidate to take a passer or perhaps an offensive lineman.

So while it does seem like the Steelers might have gotten a little William Jackson revenge, the reality is Pittsburgh might have panicked into a costly jump (No. 52 overall and a 2020 third-round pick sent to Denver) and guaranteed the Bengals their best player on the board.

Time still has to pass before we see which rookie pans out better, if at all. But everything may not be as it initially seems in the latest saga between the Steelers and Bengals.

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