Amarius Mims reveals Bengals' hidden strength that the NFL is sleeping on

Thanks in large part to Joe Burrow's individual brilliance and elite weaponry like Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Cincinnati Bengals' offense has flourished for most of the last half-decade. However, all that production often came in spite of poor offensive line play.

Some of Cincinnati's organizational evolution has entailed getting more athletic on the o-line. That initiative was clear when the Bengals drafted Amarius Mims 18th overall in the 2024 draft, and still is as they keep stockpiling dynamic assets in the trenches in front of Burrow.

Mims is a towering 6'8", 350-pounder with outstanding movement skills that befit a franchise tackle. And even in early May, he's eager for Cincinnati to show the world just how far the o-line has come.

Amarius Mims highlights offensive line's continuity and closeness as major asset for Bengals in 2026

In addition to successfully advocating for Dalton Risner's return, Mims is serving as the unofficial hype man for a Bengals o-line that played way better than many people realize last season. He was fired up to let reporters know all about it while holding court in the locker room, via FOX19's Jeremy Rauch:

"We have one of the tightest bonds on the team. We hang out with each other every week, with each other every day. [...] I saw how we played the last 10 games of the season, and how efficient we were. Why wouldn't you want to bring that o-line back and play with those guys? I know we're excited. [...] I was very vocal about [wanting Risner back], even on social media. And I got him back!"

Risner brought some much-needed stability to the right guard position in 2025, but the Bengals waited until late August to bring him aboard. That ultimately led to Burrow's Week 2 turf toe injury, when Risner was part of a pass protection breakdown.

It took Cincinnati's core five a while to find its collective stride. Once Joe Flacco took the reins of the offense, though, everything started to jell. And this unit, more or less, should be locked in for the foreseeable future.

Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. brokered in his own contract extension this offseason. Second-year third-round pick Dylan Fairchild is solid at the guard spot opposite Risner. At least for this season, veteran center Ted Karras should continue to be serviceable.

And then there's Mims, who's on an exciting trajectory as he's ascended to be among the NFL's better young tackles.

Auburn fourth-round pick Connor Lew or Duke's Brian Parker II are both possible successor candidates for Karras. Parker could also step in at guard if Cincinnati doesn't re-sign Risner next offseason. The Bengals were widely praised for being able to score them both as late as they did in the draft.

So it goes beyond Mims' glowing remarks and how close-knit the Bengals' starters are. They actually have some respectable depth waiting in the wings, which has not at all been the case in years past during the Burrow era. That's part of why he's hurt so often.

Joe Shiesty had to drag awful o-lines to the Super Bowl and AFC Championship Game. He overcame awful blocking in 2024 to have an MVP-caliber season. Looks like those days of running for his life so often and getting smoked in the pocket on quick pressure will be fewer and further between, if not completely in the rearview mirror.

Safe to say we won't be seeing these sorts of headlines going forward...

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