Cincinnati Bengals: Signing Mitchell Schwartz is worth a shot

The offensive line didn’t play well last year and that’s why the Cincinnati Bengals can’t be content with what they currently have. Yes, they made moves this offseason but that won’t fix how poorly this o-line played a year ago overnight.

The Bengals are banking on both Riley Reiff to slide over to right tackle and rookie Jackson Carman to transition to guard with ease and it’s not the most likely of scenarios that they both move to new positions without any issues.

Speaking of Reiff, the Bengals have their right tackle for the 2021 season but they only signed him to a one-year deal and need to be looking past this year. One of the best right tackles still available in free agency is Mitchell Schwartz.

You might be asking, ‘Well if he’s one of the best right tackles, why is he still a free agent then?’ and the answer to that is simple — Schwartz suffered a back injury last year with the Chiefs and didn’t start a game after Week 6 after never having missed a start prior to that. It was an impressive streak for Schwartz but back injuries are no joke and ultimately, the Chiefs made the difficult decision to part ways with him this offseason.

Mitchell Schwartz is worth bringing in at right tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals could sign Schwartz to a multi-year deal, let Reiff be the starter at right tackle, and then, hopefully, if healthy in 2022, Schwartz could be the guy there moving forward. This is certainly a risk, as Schwartz might not be the same player he was in Kansas City but it’s worth a shot.

Prior to his injury, Schwartz had never missed a start and was one of the best right tackles in the league. It was shocking when the Chiefs released him but at the same time, his injury paired with their financial issues left them with few options.

At worst, Schwartz doesn’t pan out and the Bengals are in the same situation they were already in. On the other hand, Schwartz has shown he’s one of the best in the league at his position and he could be the right tackle for Cincinnati after the 2021 season.

Maybe there’s even a chance that Schwartz could start for the Bengals in 2021 if he’s healthy enough and Reiff could be kicked inside to guard.

The Bengals need to add help to their offensive line. They might think they’re set but after what happened last year, they can never have enough depth on the o-line. Schwartz might be coming off of an injury but what do the Bengals have to lose with signing him?