Guard predicted as Bengals biggest bust of 2024 NFL season

Heading into this offseason, the offensive line was marked as an area that needed improvement for the Cincinnati Bengals. Star quarterback Joe Burrow suffered the second season-ending injury of his young career in 2023, and keeping him healthy and protected is imperative for the Bengals moving forward.

The Bengals were proactive in the name of improvement on the line, as the team added veteran tackle Trent Brown in free agency and then added tackle Amarius Mims in the very first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Both of those additions should help to solidify the O-line for Cincinnati, but there are still some questions and concerns, especially at left guard, where Cordell Volson is penciled in as a starter.

Volson is entering his third season with the Bengals after starting 33 games over his first two campaigns, and he was recently predicted by Bleacher Report to be Cincinnati's biggest bust of the 2024 season. Here's the rationale that was provided by the outlet:

"Last season, Cordell Volson had a rough time. But, hey, he's still a young player and will be 26 years old in 2024. More experience can lead to improvement. However, the reality is we've seen Cincinnati's offensive line annually underperform in front of Joe Burrow, and that's a concerning sign for someone who already struggled mightily."

Volson entering a make-or-break season

Volson certainly had his struggles last season, as he earned just a 58.3 grade from Pro Football Focus, which obviously isn't ideal. According to the site, he gave up five sacks and committed three penalties over the course of the campaign. Despite those struggles, Bengals director of player personnal Duke Tobin remains optimistic about Volson's outlook.

"We've seen a lot of good out of Cordell," Tobin said earlier this year. "I don't think any of us have seen the best yet."

Bengals fans have to hope that Tobin is correct, as the 2024 season could be Volson's final opportunity to prove that he should be a certified starter in Cincinnati. If he plays well, he could solidify himself in that spot. If not, the team could be forced to look in a different direction.