Bengals: Retired tackle loves what he’s seeing from Jonah Williams so far

Retired tackle Geoff Schwartz has taken notice of a certain aspect of Jonah Williams’ playing style early on in Bengals training camp.

It’s no secret the Cincinnati Bengals are heavily relying on Jonah Williams to vault their offensive line into respectable territory. The former first-round pick has long been praised for his pro-readiness but was unable to prove it in his rookie campaign due to injury. In the opening days of training camp, however, he is displaying the traits that caused him to be the first tackle taken two years ago.

In response to a rep of Williams against Sam Hubbard, Geoff Schwartz, retired NFL lineman and brother to arguably the best right tackle in the game (Mitchell Schwartz), took notice of the patience Cincinnati’s most promising bookend displayed.

Patience is a rare quality in an offensive tackle, especially in one as young as Williams. The fact that he is keeping his composure while trying to prove himself speaks to his polished mechanics and discipline.

Jonah Williams is set to face the best of the best

Moving forward, the Bengals will obviously need Williams to continue to impress. He’ll be thrown into the fire week one, facing off against one of the best pass-rushing duos in the league, Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.

From there, he’ll be asked to slow down players like Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, Calais Campbell, Chase Young, and others. That’s a tall task for any offensive tackle, but especially for one with such little experience.

However, if there’s any player that is capable of protecting Joe Burrow from the gauntlet of talented pass-rushers so early on in his career, it’s Jonah Williams. Leading up to the draft, the former Alabama standout revealed his insane work ethic and preparation. His mentality is so intense that he created spreadsheets to analyze his opponents during his collegiate days.

There’s no doubt that he’s continued to work just as hard upon entering the professional ranks. So far, it seems that it’s paying off. Williams will now look to translate his success in practice to gamedays as the Bengals attempt to get back up off the mat after a string of disappointing seasons.