Bengals Twitter brutally rejects new starter after 1st preseason drive

Even casual NFL fans know that the Cincinnati Bengals have room to improve on the offensive line. Their cost-effective version of a solution to their glaring right guard problem was to sign wily veteran Lucas Patrick in free agency.

Welp. Patrick got his shot to start in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, just as the Bengals' initial depth chart suggested he would. Let's just say Who Dey Nation was ready to bail on the man after one series.

Despite the stellar bottom-line results of that opening possession in Philly — courtesy of a 12-yard touchdown pass from Joe Burrow to Tanner Hudson — Patrick took some serious heat for his performance.

Bengals RG Lucas Patrick roasted on social media for preseason debut

I hope Lucas Patrick doesn't go home and open his laptop. In Patrick's defense, he was battling an injury earlier in training camp. Maybe he was still a little dinged-up. The coaching staff thought enough of him to start Thursday's game over incumbent Bengal Cody Ford.

Alas, if Patrick's mission was to reassure the Cincinnati faithful that he had that right guard gig on lock, he didn't accomplish it.

Not only did Patrick get blown back into Joe Burrow's lap on a critical third down completion, but he wiped out what would've been a touchdown catch by Ja'Marr Chase off a scramble drill. A 15-yard chop block penalty wiped out the TD.

Ooft. This is precisely what anyone who has any investment in the Bengals is afraid of. The glaring weak link on an otherwise "sky's the limit" offense.

I'll say this: Bengals fans aren't shy to voice their displeasure when the results aren't up to snuff on an offensive unit led by Joe Brrr. And the local media boots on the ground, as you can see above, do not sugarcoat the team's issues in the slightest.

Check out the reactions from Elon Musk's X/Twitter to see for yourself how brutal the feedback was for Patrick.

I'd say let's not overreact too much to one drive. At the same time, any Bengals fan with a brain knows right guard is the clear kryptonite of this entire offense. There's no excuse to not at least kick the tires on a free-agent vet like Brandon Scherff.

We'll see if Patrick can improve his performance in the next preseason outing against the Commanders, or if Ford can rise up and seize the starting job. At least in the early going, despite the starting offense driving for touchdowns on both possessions, this particular right guard battle is more than a little worrisome.

Perhaps head coach Zac Taylor can deliver on his recent suggestion that rookie tackle Jalen Rivers could get some looks at guard. Seems to be worth a shot at least.