The Cincinnati Bengals need more from their offensive line — quickly — to right a 2-3 ship and pursue a playoff spot in the AFC North.
Easier said than done, as offseason upgrades to four of the five spots in front of Joe Burrow haven’t produced the anticipated uptick in all areas.
The running game, for example, sputtered until late in a Week 5 loss. Runs out of shotgun looks started to work there, but it’s a small wrinkle opponents can adjust for in future weeks.
Pass protection, at least, has been much better in most areas.
Most, because as Pro Football Focus’ Andrew Russell pointed out, the interior pass protection has been strong while the players on the edges have struggled:
Thru week 5, the Bengals offensive line has a top-10 graded interior trio in pass pro and a bottom 5 graded tackle duo.
They really need LC and Jonah to step their game up.
— Andrew Russell (@Andrew_Russell7) October 11, 2022
Jonah Williams on the left side didn’t look consistent until about Week 4 and now has to battle an injury. Right tackle La’el Collins looked stiff over the first few weeks while battling a nagging back issue and is only just starting to come around, too.
It’s no coincidence that struggles by the tackles have coincided with overall offensive struggles. While it’s easy to ask Zac Taylor whether he’ll give up play-calling duties, the calls won’t matter if the line doesn’t continue to steadily improve, too.
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