If the Cincinnati Bengals want to make it back to a Super Bowl and not kill force Joe Burrow into early retirement, the offensive line needs serious fine-tuning.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports put together a list of one critical move that every team needs to make this offseason and he had a few for the Bengals but one that jumped out at me was signing Brandon Scherff.
There’s no debating that Scherff is the best guard option available in free agency this spring. While there are other decent names such as Connor Williams, James Daniels, and Austin Corbett, Scherff is the biggest name and is going to get paid handsomely this offseason.
The glaring issue with Scherff and why I’m not sure I agree that signing him is a must for this team is that the guy can’t stay healthy. He’s missed at least two games in each of the past five seasons and that’s certainly a reason to avoid signing him to a long-term deal.
Do the Bengals need to sign Brandon Scherff?
Scherff, a former first-round pick out of Iowa in 2015, has spent his entire seven-year career with Washington. This past season he missed six games with an MCL injury and that’s something to monitor for sure, especially if the team is going to invest a lot of money in the guy.
While Scherff is an excellent player and would absolutely make the Cincinnati o-line better, the injuries scare me. Maybe they go after either him or Terron Armstead, another injury-prone player, rather than taking a risk on both of them. Scherff has appeared in double-digit games the past three years but he’s 30 years old so the injuries probably aren’t going to stop.
Scherff is a five-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro right guard. He’d give the Bengals the best possible player at a position they’ve struggled to fill but the injuries aren’t something to gloss over. There are healthy players available who are still solid guards and would also be cheaper additions.
Do you think signing Brandon Scherff is a move the team needs to make?