Cincinnati Bengals left guard Dylan Fairchild is one of the most overlooked starters on a new-look team that has all the makings of a Super Bowl contender. However, he's part of an offensive line that returns completely intact from 2025, and should provide Joe Burrow with the best pass protection of his career to date.
Fairchild was thrown into the fire as a rookie third-round pick out of Georgia last year. He acquitted himself well enough in 15 starts, which was no small task amid so much turbulence.
Since the Bengals' defense was so bad, the offense was forced into lots of obvious passing situations to play catch-up. Burrow got injured in Week 2 as Cincinnati struggled to solidify the right guard position. Tailback Chase Brown had an absolutely brutal first three games with 93 yards on 47 carries.
One constant amid all that turmoil was Fairchild, save for a couple missed games due to injury. With a solid rookie effort under his belt, we'll kick things off here by diving into why Bengals center Ted Karras is a big believer in the rising second-year pro.
Ted Karras talks up Fairchild's raw brute strength
It's an oft-cited cliché that when football fans don't notice an offensive lineman during a live game, it's a good thing. That means the fellas in the trenches are doing their jobs to keep the offense humming. In lieu of any true eye-popping pancake blocks or flashy antics, Dylan Fairchild fit that description pretty well during his maiden pro campaign.
However, the far more experienced Karras, who's been around the block and wouldn't dish out compliments just to be polite, went out of his way to spotlight Fairchild in an interview with Bleacher Report's Brandon Thorn. Karras even tossed in a comparison to a two-time Super Bowl champ who blocked for the GOAT himself, Tom Brady:
"Just the amount of force he can generate, that's such a thing you can't even really coach. You just have to find those guys. Thinking of guys like Shaq Mason, [he] had that. Just the amount of force that ,when he came in and hit you, that's like...I don't even know what the...measurement of that [is]. The PSI of the contact that he hits you with. Man...he's elite with that."
Quite the rave review from a wily vet. Fairchild earning the comp to Mason, who Brady trusted so much that he commanded him to come to Tampa Bay after a long tenure in New England, bodes quite well.
Guess who earns the most frequent comparisons to Brady amongst active QBs? None other than Joe Burrow.
Why the Bengals' ascending left guard is so slept on
With all the attention on Cincinnati's aggressive efforts to fortify the defense, particularly the blockbuster Dexter Lawrence trade, it's easy for someone like Dylan Fairchild to fly under the radar.
In fact, much of the hot-button speculation about the Bengals in 2026 centers around whether anyone from their defense-heavy 2025 draft class can make that Year 2 leap. Either linebacker between Demetirus Knight Jr. or Barrett Carter would be ideal. Anything positive from Shemar Stewart would be welcome to the fanbase.
But if we're being realistic, the draft pick from last year who has the best chance at making that sophomore-season jump is Fairchild.
Playing between two seasoned pros in Orlando Brown Jr. and Karras is a built-in advantage. Zac Taylor's offensive system hasn't changed. Fairchild had 15 games worth of chemistry and quality play with the exact same players flanking him.
Stewart's path to a significant role is cloudy with new additions like Boye Mafe and Cashius Howell at defensive end. Meanwhile, Carter and Knight were two of the NFL's worst linebackers as rookies, so a "leap" for them would be rising to something like a replacement-level starter.
Given how well the Bengals ran the ball over the final 11 games of last season, and that Burrow is healthy at this time, Fairchild has all the makings of a raging success. The 23-year-old's playing demeanor, evidently advanced maturity, the trust his teammates have in him, and his already-significant role point to an ascent among the NFL's best guards in short order.
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