Protect the franchise.
The offensive line continues to be a point of conversation and debate for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Key Players
- Ted Karras
- Orlando Brown
- Alex Cappa
- Cordell Volson
- Jonah Williams
2023 Review
The Bengals offensive line showed improvement in 2023 but still had trouble both protecting Joe Burrow and opening holes in the run game.
Like La’el Collins before him, the high-profile signing of Orlando Brown did not change the landscape of the Bengals offense. Brown played well, but not as well as he has in the past. Still, his signing improved the team at two positions.
Jonah Williams made a relatively seamless shift to the right side in 2023, and as a result, he will make a lot of money in 2024. Despite how he is seen locally, he is one of the best tackles on the market and will garner a lot of interest as either a right or left tackle.
The unit’s leader, Ted Karras, had another productive year anchoring the offensive line, as did Alex Cappa to his right. To his left was Cordell Volson, who showed some improvement over year one but failed to take the big step forward that we were hoping to see.
2024 Outlook
Jonah Williams will not return in 2024, which means the team will be looking for a new starting right tackle for the one-millionth time this offseason. Unfortunately, if you are looking at free agency for someone who is as talented as Williams and less expensive you are going to be disappointed.
The first round of the draft may be the best place to look, but picking in the 18th slot means you are rolling the dice looking for a Day 1 starter at a premium position. There are a number of excellent prospects, but there could always be a run on tackles that leaves you forced to reach on a player with more red flags than that girl you dated in college (you know the one).
Notre Dame’s Joe Alt and Penn State’s Olu Fashanu are unlikely to slide, but there is a chance that the Bengals could get Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga or Alabama’s J.C. Latham, both of whom look like Day 1 starters.
If those two are gone, Georgia’s Amarius Mims or Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton could be in play. Both have high-end potential but are a bit more raw than those listed above. I think Mims specifically has the potential to be an elite player, but there will be a sharp learning curve. Strangely, Fuaga, Lathan, Mims, and Guyton were all actually right tackles in college.
On the interior, the Bengals could obviously use an upgrade at guard, but center is an under-the-radar need. Ted Karras is entering the last year of his contract. It would be a smart move to draft a player with guard/center versatility to play next to Karras for a season and potentially move to center in his second year.
Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson would be the best prospect for something like that, but you would have to take him at 18.
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