Over the past few years, the Cincinnati Bengals have struggled mightily in fielding an effective offensive line. There are plenty of arguments as to why including the fact that this is a patchwork unit that doesn’t have a long history of playing together. One argument has been that offensive line coach Frank Pollack hasn’t done an adequate job training his players to use proper technique. Then there is the basic argument that this unit simply needs more talent. Luckily, that dilemma appears to have been rectified this offseason.
Cincinnati Bengals Trigger Brutal Position Battle Ahead of OTAs
At the beginning of free agency, the organization fairly expectedly decided to move on from former first-round pick Jonah Williams. After all, the Alabama product showed on countless occasions that he simply couldn’t hold up against the elite pass-rushing talent in the AFC. To replace him, Cincinnati went down two distinct paths this offseason.
First, they brought in veteran swing tackle Trent Brown to stabilize a long-time concern for the team. Brown has demonstrated that he is capable of playing at the Pro Bowl level after he was honored with the all-star status in 2019. Since then, he has struggled to remain healthy, and even with his pedigree, he was only able to sign a contract with Cincinnati several weeks after the initiation of free agency for a meager 4 million dollars.
On top of acquiring Brown, the franchise invested heavily in the offensive tackle position by drafting University of Georgia superstar Amarius Mims with the 18th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Mims looked like the real deal last season for Georgia and even though he only played in eight games, he was an absolute superstar playing at the highest level of collegiate football. At 6’8″ and 340 pounds, Mims has both the technical and physical skills to be a long-term competitor at the right tackle position.
While both tackles would likely be adequate solutions on the right side of the offensive line, there is an inherent risk present. While a competition battle may be beneficial to both parties, there is always a possibility that the competition could prevent cohesion amongst the offensive line, particularly with center Ted Karras and right guard Alex Cappa. Since both players will likely be dramatic improvements over last year, it is important for the Cincinnati Bengals to work this out quickly.
The long-term solution is clearly going to be the promising youngster Mims. That means in the event of a likely tie between the players in training camp, Pollack will go with Mims in order to get the former Bulldog as much professional experience as he can early on. While keeping a quality swing tackle on the roster would be beneficial, particularly with Mims injury-plagued 2023 season at Georgia, there may be better alternatives.
While his demand never really materialized during the free agency window, an experienced and capable offensive tackle like Brown on a four-million-dollar contract is a steal. While it might be beneficial to keep him, there could be a desperate team at the beginning or even middle of the season next year that would trade a second or third-round pick for the accomplished goliath. That way, Cincinnati could clear the field at right tackle for Mims to step into the role and also build valuable draft capital. Even though they signed Brown just months ago, the cheap contract would be considered a win for a relatively high pick.
While there have been major concerns in the past, this certainly isn’t a problem that Cincinnati is upset about having.
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