Cincinnati Bengals offensive line was awful in 2017! 2018 can only get better!
The Bengal’s offensive line was nothing but awful in 2017. The expectation of Cedric Ogbuehi to be the Left Tackle of the future dwindled quickly. Jake Fisher going on Injured Reserve and Andre Smith was not terrible at right tackle. Clint Boling at left guard was about the only staple of consistency.
Trey Hopkins at right guard hasn’t been overly impressive and Russell Bodine at the center was a nightmare. This offensive line was pushed around, pushed back, and overran by most defensive lines. The offensive line gave up 39 sacks in 2017 and was the angst of the whole season.
Watching games in 2017, Bengal fans constantly watched quarterback Andy Dalton scramble for his life, release the ball sooner than he would like, and watched a ground game that produced one of the worst seasons one can remember. The Bengals ranked next to last at 31st in the league with only 1,366 rushing yards on the season.
The offensive line was just downright bad. Protecting the quarterback and the rushing support was just miserable. The fact that it seemed like even when running backs Joe Mixon or Giovani Bernard broke free for a big gain it was brought back due to a holding penalty on the line. The offensive woes of 2017 simply put directly involves the offensive line.
What changed from 2016
The Bengals let Andrew Whitworth go last year to the Los Angeles Rams. They lost Kevin Zeitler to a divisional rival, the Cleveland Browns. Andre Smith was with the Minnesota Vikings and Hue Jackson bolted for the Cleveland Browns to be their head coach.
Offensive coordinator Ken Zampese enters as the new offensive coordinator and the loss of Zeitler and Whitworth begins the woes of the 2017 offense. Whitworth was the staple and leader of the team. With Whitworth, Russell Bodine produced at a different level or his weaknesses were diminished by the strong play surrounding him. They fed off his leadership and stability.
How can they improve in 2018
The Bengals have to find some upgrades for the offensive line to play better as a unit in 2018. They have brought in former Dallas Cowboys offensive line coach Frank Pollack to help better develop some of these young offensive linemen. Cincinnati has also already traded for Buffalo Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn as a start to rebuilding their offensive line without Whitworth and Zeitler.
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There are still holes to fill as center Russell Bodine left for an offer with the Bills. There are still needs at center, right guard, and right tackle. Even with the addition of former New York Giants offensive tackle Bobby Hart, there is still room to upgrade. The Bengals are going to have to bring in some top talent especially along the interior of the line if they want any shot of this offensive line looking better in 2018. Expect them to fill those needs in the first three rounds where the team holds four picks.
Draft prospects
Before we discuss the draft prospects, let’s not forget the best pick up of offensive line coach, Frank Pollack. This is the same Pollack that orchestrated some of the best offensive lines in Dallas Cowboys recent history. Leading way to rushing leaders DeMarco Murray and Ezekiel Elliott behind his well-coached offensive lines. The Cincinnati Bengals now hope he can put his experience and mentality to our offensive line.
The Cincinnati Bengals have 11 picks in the 2018 draft. It would baffle most all of the nation if they do not draft at the very least 3-4 offensive lineman with their 11 picks. This would help bolster Pollack’s potential to build a solid line. Looking at their first pick at 21, many analysts are saying the Bengals could look at drafting the best player on the board, meaning they could pick the likes of a Raashan Evans, LB, Alabama or Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State.
The simple fact is they MUST get the best offensive lineman sitting at 21. The projection could land them Billy Price, C, Ohio State or James Daniels, C, Iowa. Daniels edges Price out in overall score on NFL Draft profiles. My pick has always been Mike McGlinchey, LT, Notre Dame. His leadership and stability remind me of a young Andrew Whitworth. The Bengals traded for Cordy Glenn to assume the role of left tackle. McGlinchey would be a nice addition to put in at right tackle.
If the Bengals do however go for best available at 21 with a different position, I believe Frank Ragnow, C, Arkansas would be a nice consolation prize in Round 2. Ragnow ranks the lowest of Price and Daniels in the NFL Draft Profile score, leaving fans to believe he would be more likely available in Round 2.
Next: 2017 Bengals positional review: tight ends
The 2018 draft is loaded with offensive lineman. The Bengals have put together a nice draft grade over the course of Marvin Lewis tenure. The hope is that they continue that this year by selecting some of the top offensive linemen that will be plug and play in 2018. Many fans are hoping that their first two picks potentially land them McGlinchey and Price or Ragnow. That would help solidify and build competition with new offensive line coach Frank Pollack to play with.