For those who are tired of hearing about how bad the Cincinnati Bengals‘ offensive line is, this article might not be for you. Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus listed the o-line as the Bengals’ biggest weakness ahead of the 2021 season and, if we’re being entirely honest, no one should be surprised to hear this.
Here was what Linsey had to say:
"The Bengals’ offensive line should be better in 2021 than it was last season. But that isn’t a high bar to clear. There are still legitimate reasons for concern on the interior offensive line in Cincinnati. Second-round rookie Jackson Carman, Quinton Spain, Xavier Su’a-Filo and Michael Jordan are among the team’s top options at guard. The last three combined for a 55.7 PFF grade last season with the Bengals, while Carman will be transitioning from left tackle at Clemson to right guard in the NFL."
Yeah, yikes.
Bengals fans know the situation could be better but at least the team made it a point to address it this offseason. Yes, they passed on Penei Sewell, but they drafted Jackson Carman in the second round and also signed Riley Reiff in free agency.
The guard position is one to worry about because one of them is a battle that’ll be had out in training camp and the other job is likely going to Carman, who played tackle at Clemson.
The Bengals offensive line is the weakness of the team.
The offensive line will be under a watchful eye this season because of what happened with Joe Burrow last year. The rookie quarterback was on pace for an impressive season but didn’t get to finish it out due to getting injured in Week 11 and missing the rest of the year as a result.
Reiff was a nice addition and could be the team’s MVP if he comes in and dominates on the right side of the line but the other side of the o-line is anchored by Jonah Williams, who has struggled to stay healthy so far in his career. Williams is getting another shot to prove himself this year and it’s do or die for the former first-round pick.
The offensive line was the easy choice for the biggest weakness of the Bengals though their run defense could also be an option and that’s a unit the team didn’t really look to improve on that weakness over the offseason.
Until the Bengals’ o-line goes out there and shows they’re a new and improved group, they’ll continue to be considered one of the team’s biggest weaknesses, if not the biggest weakness.