Cincinnati Bengals: Negatives of team’s 2-3 start
By Kenn Korb
1. Awful Offensive Line
Last year, the offensive line was perhaps the biggest weakness for the team. Somehow, it may be even worse this year. A year after giving up 32 sacks (No. 23 in the NFL in 2015), the team gave up 41 sacks (tied No. 7 in the NFL in 2016). The hits didn’t end there, either as the line proceeded to lose their two best players (Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler).
In their stead, next to nothing was done. Only one of the team’s dozen-plus draft picks went towards the line (and that player, center J.J. Dielman, didn’t even play at one of the spots in need and failed to make the final roster). Free agency was only broached to bring back former Bengal Andre Smith, who they likely only even considered bringing back because he was cheap.
There were a couple spurts of hope and possibility of this line not actually being terrible, but even in a year where poor line play may be the biggest noteworthy trend, Cincinnati’s has managed to be among the worst.
The line has already allowed 15 sacks in five games (including three or more in four-straight to open the year). Prorated across a full season, we’re looking at 48 sacks by the time the regular season ends. That doesn’t account for opponent, either. Six of their remaining games come against teams in the top seven for sacks, and they’ve already given up three-plus sacks to worse groups.
Eight linemen have played snaps for them this season; seven have played at least 72 snaps. Of that group, only one player comes out as average or better according to Pro Football Focus Edge grades: left guard Clint Boling, with a 75.3. Everyone else has been abysmal at best, and that isn’t hyperbole. A grade of 60 is the demarcation between below average and awful, and nobody besides Boling is above a 50.
It’s no wonder that only two teams (the Cardinals and Jets) came out worse when PFF graded the offensive lines after five weeks.
If Cincinnati is going to continue forward with the positive outcomes of the past couple games, this line needs to unequivocally be much better. Dalton’s drastic struggles when pressured are spoken about so much that it’ll be put on his tombstone one day; he seemingly needs quality blocking to not turn into a pile of mush every snap from the sight of opposing jerseys.
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Help is not on the way. The linemen on the roster are who will be tasked with better performance. Young tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher need to take steps forward and finally show the promise which got them highly drafted in the first place. Trey Hopkins has finally returned to the lineup after a knee injury sidelined him since Week 1. He must show the promise that elevated him to a starting spot in the offseason. Russell Bodine must step up in the middle and prove worthy of a new contract.
Unless this problem is eased going forward, this team will sit perilously in every contest no matter what happens elsewhere on this roster.