For the first time since the team drafted center Billy Price with the 21st overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals invested a first-round pick in the offensive line. Following that moment, Price’s professional career took a brutal nosedive that culminated in his retirement several weeks ago but more significantly, the failure of Price to establish himself crippled the offensive line for years to come.
![Cincinnati Bengals Draft Choice Signals the Failure of 2023 Blockbuster Free Agent Acquisition 1 USATSI 15214377 scaled](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/USATSI_15214377-scaled.webp)
Now that the team has selected offensive tackle Amarius Mims with almost the exact same pick (18th overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft, the team has established that they are setting a new standard in the offensive trenches. No longer will the haphazard play of a diminishing Jonah Williams or a bargain pick-up like the disastrous 2018 free-agent signing of Bobby Hart be adequate for this offense. After superstar quarterback Joe Burrow suffered two season-ending injuries in his first four seasons in the NFL, it was clear that this team needed to make a policy change.
Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Line Strategy Shift
![Cincinnati Bengals Draft Choice Signals the Failure of 2023 Blockbuster Free Agent Acquisition 2 Phialdelphia Eagles Amarius Mims](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/USATSI_19779916_168400517_lowres.jpg)
Even after the dramatic shift on the offensive line since the Super Bowl loss in 2022, most fans will acknowledge that this offensive line is nowhere close to where it should be. Massive free agent signings like Alex Cappa and Orlando Brown Jr. have simply failed to perform up to standards and are only locked onto the roster for another two years. Although both players have aggressive dead cap penalties built into their contracts that essentially prohibit the team from cutting them next offseason, they certainly shouldn’t get comfortable after that.
Who on the Offensive Line has Struggled the Most?
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While Cappa has had his fair struggles, Brown was certainly a dramatic letdown last season. After signing a monster contract for just over $16 million per season, Brown struggled and earned a mediocre Pro Football Focus score of 66.1 (45th in the NFL). For a tackle who earns in the top half of the league for his position, that meager score is certainly not what the franchise expected when they signed him last offseason to anchor the left tackle position.
Future Plans for the Left Tackle Position
![Cincinnati Bengals Draft Choice Signals the Failure of 2023 Blockbuster Free Agent Acquisition 4 Cincinnati Bengals, Orlando Brown Jr. trent brown](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/download-26-e1708798736861.jpg)
In 2024, the team introduced Mims to replace Williams on the right side but there might be a bigger long-term play to this decision. While Mims will certainly be a dramatic improvement over Williams on the right side, he also drags down the value of Brown quite a bit. If the former Chiefs left tackle doesn’t figure out a way to improve his form next season, the team will have options that include moving Mims to left tackle or acquiring another prospect to replace Brown down the road.
![Cincinnati Bengals Draft Choice Signals the Failure of 2023 Blockbuster Free Agent Acquisition 5 Bengals Orlando Brown](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/orlando-brown-jr.jpg)
If Brown doesn’t dramatically improve his form, he could find himself dropping off the third team in his short NFL career.
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