The Cincinnati Bengals may be a 2-1 football team, but they're in real danger of seeing their 2025 season go off the rails entering Week 4.
Or at least that's what it looked like this last Sunday, when they got trounced 48-10 by the Vikings in Minnesota. Head coach Zac Taylor saw his offense commit five turnovers, which led to two defensive touchdowns. There appears to be no quick fix in sight for that unit with Joe Burrow sidelined.
Taylor threw yet another discouraging development into the unsavory mix on Thursday when he confirmed the tenuous status of a key position on the offensive line.
Zac Taylor says Bengals RG Dalton Risner's starting job is up for grabs
When the Bengals signed Dalton Risner on August 27, he was believed to be the solution at the right guard position. Risner has a history of excellence in pass protection, which fits well with the system Burrow and Taylor run.
Alas, Risner is still digesting the playbook since he was such a late addition, and was thrust into duty in Week 1 when Lucas Patrick got injured. Risner suffered a calf injury of his own in Week 3.
Although he should be good to go in Denver for Monday night, Taylor left the door open as to who'll line up at Risner's spot in the trenches against the Broncos.
Bengals guard Dalton Risner is good healthwise, per Zac Taylor. However, it appears that right guard starting spot is open again. Rookie Jalen Rivers finished there against MIN.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) September 25, 2025
Taylor in Rivers: "I thought he held up well against a good defensive front."
Once garbage time hit in Minneapolis and Risner was banged up, rookie fifth-round pick Jalen Rivers got some live reps at right guard. Taylor evidently believes Rivers held up well enough to earn starting consideration for Week 4.
If we go by PFF's metrics, Risner has ranked as the 63rd-best guard in the NFL out of 76 qualifiers. Do the math. Thirty-two teams. Two starters at guard. Sixty-four full-time spots available. Not great, Bob.
It's almost as if Rivers is getting a long look simply because it can't get much worse for Cincinnati's offensive line. Never a good frame of mind for a coaching staff or fans to be in, especially only 12 whole quarters into the new season.
Part of me doesn't want the Bengals to shake things up so early. There's merit to the ideas of letting Risner continue to settle in, or allowing a more experienced veteran in Patrick reenter the lineup once he's healthy enough to do so.
Counting on a Day 3 rookie draft pick to start within the first month of the schedule, debuting as a starter in prime time? Doesn't sound like a recipe for success. Tough spot to put Rivers in if you ask me.
We still have a little time before Monday's kickoff, yet this is an ongoing problem that the Bengals didn't address well enough in the offseason. Patrick was a lower-tier free agent/fringe starter, Risner arrived very late, and Rivers was thought to be a swing tackle coming out of Miami (FL).
All Bengals fans can hope for is that somebody rises to the challenge and seizes the job in short order. The o-line is struggling enough as is, particularly in run blocking. Whether it's Risner or Rivers in the Mile High City, don't expect this problem to go away any time soon.