Five bold predictions for the Bengals’ 2021 offseason
By Aaron Burd
Bold Bengals prediction: Offensive line does not get adequately addressed
As it was last offseason, the Bengals’ main weakness heading into the 2021 offseason is their offensive line. Unfortunately, the Cincinnati front office did not do enough to adequately address the issue in 2020, adding only a journeyman guard in Xavier Su’a-Filo and a sixth-round pick in Hakeem Adeniji.
These moves proved not to be enough for the Bengals’ poor offensive line. Rookie Joe Burrow was one of the most pressured quarterbacks in the league and eventually was taken out for the season with an ACL injury due to his poor protection.
After outrage from fans over Burrow’s injury and lack of protection, the Bengals are bound to dip their toes into fixing the offensive line this offseason. However, if anything is certain about the Bengals’ front office, it’s that they probably won’t do enough.
The Bengals could completely turn around their o-line this offseason. They have the money to pay big-time free agents at guard and tackle, and the draft capital to get high profile prospects like Penei Sewell or Rashawn Slater. Despite this, they will probably be more conservative with their approach.
Many fans want the Bengals to go for a free agent lineman like Joe Thuney, Brandon Scherff, or Taylor Moton. While those would be welcome additions to a poor offensive line, those three are likely out of the front office’s price range.
Fans would be better off tempering their expectations and bracing themselves for the Bengals to sign one or two linemen with a low price tag and then draft a lineman or two because the big-name guys aren’t going to be brought in.