The Cincinnati Bengals are under immense pressure to improve one of the worst defenses in the NFL this offseason. And their next opportunity to do so is at the upcoming NFL Draft.
However, like a good game of three-card monte, while most are looking over there, another position group could use some fresh paint over here.
And as the Bengals are operating on “good vibes and the power of friendship” along the offensive line, it remains a sneaky need.
Are the Bengals planning the wrong long-term move?
Most recent mock drafts have the Cincinnati Bengals taking Mansoor Delane with the tenth overall pick in the upcoming draft. And the overwhelming consensus is that that would be a good idea. Or at least an extremely Bengals thing to do.
Delane aside, if the Bengals go that route, it would be a succession plan they should avoid, but in the past, they couldn’t help but make it.
However, the front office should also be carefully considering a succession plan for the offensive line.
The obvious choice for lining up a successor with a possible upgrade in two years would have been for Orlando Brown’s seat on the five-seat merry-go-round. However, that plan went out the window with his new extension.
But with their starting center and guard entering the final year of their contracts, two spots are prime for keeping one eye on the 2027 roster.
Fixing run defense won't help rushing attack
Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk would be a great pick for a defense that needs to improve its run defense.
Notice we said defensive end because he offers practically nothing as an edge rusher. But at least that would be an improvement over a recent first-round pick that offers nothing in either category.
However, on the other side of the trench, the Bengals are still mediocre at best in the ground attack.
Running back Chase Brown is underrated and performed well above expectations, given the hits taken in the backfield. The rushing attack has improved in part due to Brown’s ability to mitigate tackles for loss.
However, Cincinnati recently had an official visit with running back Jeremiyah Love with the 10th overall pick. If the front office were to go that route, we can only hope that Love will be as elusive in the backfield as Chase.
While most will say, of course, only four running backs who had fewer than 2.0 yards before contact per carry had a top-10 performance in one category that matters most to some fans, Fantasy Football.
Finding an offensive lineman who can help improve the rushing attack and encourage Zac Taylor to run the ball more would be just as valuable, if not more, than finding a defensive lineman who can help in one specific area.
Advanced stats exposes need for pass block improvement
And, for as mediocre as the Bengals’ rush blocking has been, the pass blocking still has not caught up, according to the composite grades of PFF, ESPN, and SIS.
According to Football Insights, the Bengals still have one of the worst pass block win rates in the NFL.
Team pass block and run block win rates pic.twitter.com/ZwFuh2n3LY
— Pigskin Analytics (@NFLpigskin2026) April 8, 2026
ESPN ranks the Bengals 28th, with a 58% pass-block win rate. So, despite the Bengals' improvements along the offensive line, there is still obvious work to do.
Overall, Pro Football Focus ranked the Bengals’ offensive line 28th in 2025.
Nevertheless, the player personnel department is running it back with the same starting five, hoping for further improvement and using momentum and familiarity as the keys to success. And hope. Don’t forget hope.
Bengals have “Hope and the power of friendship,” along the o-line
Hoping that Burrow and the skill players can overcome a below-average offensive line has been the plan for too long now.
And while the vibes around the re-signing of guard Dalton Risner were high, we must hope that the second half of the 2025 season is representative of what the 2026 campaign will entail, rather than the 2024 season and the first half of last year.
Perhaps this really is the best offensive line that Burrow has had in front of him. But if we are being honest, for a bar that was at 32nd or 31st beforehand, there was only one way to go.
Hopefully, this incarnation of the offensive line not only starts where it finished in 2025 but also continues to build on its success.
But as one TikTok user, Ben Houselog, humoursly stated while taking on the role of Joe Burrow and Duke Tobin, “on the offensive line… I have good vibes and the power of friendship. How does that help me?”
The Bengals’ offensive line improved over the course of the season, which is one of Cincinnati’s calling cards in the Zac Taylor era.
Unfortunately, another hallmark of Taylor’s tenure is the offensive line starting seasons incredibly slowly, leaving nowhere to go but up in the second half, usually after an injury to Burrow.
And despite what has proved to be a consistent issue, and despite the advanced stats showing that Cincinnati’s offensive line still has a gulf to cross to become a top-half-of-the-league unit by advanced stats standards, they have done nothing to address it thus far this offseason. Yet.
Good vibes and the power of friendship indeed.