Since when the organization was founded in 1968, the Cincinnati Bengals maintained a tough and gritty identity that continued all the way up until the mid-2010s. The consistent primary focus on this team resided in the offensive line, particularly since the first player ever drafted by the team was a center (Bob Johnson). Following a mass exodus that included All-Pro left tackle Andrew Whitworth, right guard Kevin Zeitler and right tackle Andre Smith in 2017, this unit has been a shell of its former self and has consistently ranked near the bottom of the NFL.
Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Line to Bounce Back in 2024
Following a dramatic Super Bowl loss in 2022 where the porous offensive line of Cincinnati was exposed, this franchise has put a gradually increasing effort into giving elite quarterback Joe Burrow the protection he deserves. This season, after the essential signing of former Pro Bowl swing tackle Trent Brown and the selection of Amarius Mims with the first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, experts are finally starting to look at this front unit seriously.
Analyst Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis recent came out with a ranking system for all of the offensive line groups in the NFL and he placed this up-and-coming group from Southwest Ohio as the ninth-best unit in the NFL.
“The Bengals added veteran Trent Brown and first-round pick Amarius Mims, but to live up to their top-10 ranking the offensive line must get better play from left tackle Orlando Brown. In his first year in Cincy, Brown ranked 30th out of 35 left tackles in pressure rate allowed,” Sharp wrote
Sharp makes an excellent point; now that the right tackle position has been adequately filled, the left tackle Orlando Brown (the marquee signing of the 2023 NFL offseason) has arguably become the weakest point on the line. If Cincinnati wants any legitimate hope of making another Super Bowl run next season, their left tackle will need to make a massive leap and live up to the sizable contract that this team forked out to land him.
That being said, this is certainly a veteran group that looks capable of making a monster improvement heading into 2024. If Brown can turn his play around and left guard Cordell Volson manages to make another jump heading into his third professional season, this unit has the leadership with outstanding center Ted Karras manning the center position. Given how much talent exists on the rest of this roster, this is a team that can make a serious push into the offseason if this unit finally lives up to their potential.
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