In recent years, the Cincinnati Bengals have addressed the defensive front in free agency. In 2022, the offensive line was the main priority.
It’s been an interesting 11-year stretch for the NFL team from the Queen City. The Cincinnati Bengals reached the playoffs five consecutive years from 2011-15. Of course, the club failed to win a postseason game during any of that stretch.
Then came a five-year playoff drought from 2016-2020 as the team managed a dismal combined 25-53-2 record. In his second season as head coach, Zac Taylor looked to end a stretch of three straight last-place finishes in 2021.
Then came last season’s revival. Thanks to second-year quarterback Joe Burrow, rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and a much-improved defensive front, Cincinnati won the AFC North with a 10-7 record.
After a win over the visiting Raiders in the wild-card round (the franchise’s first playoff win since 1990), the Bengals went to Tennessee and Kansas City and came away with the first-ever road postseason wins in the club’s history.
The magical season ended with a tough 23-20 loss to the Rams in Super Bowl LVI. Taylor’s team came up short due mainly to one significant shortcoming. Hence the Bengals’ top offseason pickups.
Cincinnati Bengals top offseason pickup no. 3: G Alex Cappa (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
He is not necessarily a household name. And in four NFL seasons, he has not earned neither Pro Bowl nor All-Pro honors. But Alex Cappa was an effective performer the past two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As a rookie in 2018, the third-round draft choice from Humboldt State played in 16 games. A year later, he made 13 starts. During the Bucs’ Super Bowl season of 2020, he started all 16 regular-season contests and the wild card round at Washington but was lost for the club’s final three postseason games.
Including playoffs, Cappa started 19 games this past season. And it may surprise to some that he is the 18th-ranked guard in the league via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Cincinnati Bengals top offseason pickup no. 2: C/G Ted Karras (New England Patriots)
The defending AFC champions’ problems along the offensive front in 2021 have certainly been well-documented. Quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked 51 times in 16 regular-season outings and was dumped an additional 19 times during the club’s four-game postseason run.
Hence, the addition of veteran interior lineman Ted Karras was a great addition to a Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive front that is expected to have three new starters in 2022 via free agency.
And Karras not only figures to be the club’s new starting center, but the versatile performer has also seen action at guard as well. It’s also worth noting that the six-year pro has his share of postseason experience as well.
Via Pro Football Focus, Karras is currently the service’s 16th-ranked guard – two rungs ahead of new teammate Alex Cappa. In 2021, he would up seeing starting duty on both the right and left sides for Bill Belichick’s team.
But the previous two seasons with the Patriots (2019) and Miami Dolphins (2020), he was those club’s primary starting pivot.
Keeping Burrow out of harm’s way is obviously a big priority for head coach Zac Taylor and the offense in general. The 2021 NFL Comeback Player of the Year managed to complete 70.4 percent of his passes and connected on more than twice as many TD passes (34) as interceptions.
But there’s another aspect to the Cincinnati attack as well, so…
Cincinnati Bengals top offseason pickup: T La’el Collins (Released by Dallas Cowboys)
It goes without saying that offensive line play is so much more than just keeping your quarterback out of harm’s way. The ground game remains an important aspect of the game of football even though the NFL is more pass-happy these days.
Being able to dominate the line of scrimmage is vital. Keeping that opponent off the field late in the game and protecting the lead is vital in a league these days where there are so many close games.
The Dallas Cowboys won the NFC East in 2021 but couldn’t keep right tackle La’el Collins and he was released by the club this offseason. And Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals wound up scooping up the prize. Via Pro Football Focus, the former undrafted free agent was the site’s 15-ranked tackle in 2021.
But perhaps the most notable aspect of his grade is his prowess as a run blocker (89.7). Only San Francisco’s Trent Williams (97.7) and former teammate Tyron Smith (90.0) earned higher grades when it came to supporting the ground game.
All told, 2021 proved to be a big year for Collins. He missed all of the previous year with a hip issue. He rebounded to make 10 starts this past season and was in the opening lineup in the playoffs vs. the 49ers.