Bengals have the draft picks and cap space to make needed improvements to their offensive line – Cincinnati Bengals Blog

CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow was hurting, he didn’t want anyone to know it.

Fivety-five minutes later, Cincinnati BengalsSuper Bowl LVI was lost to the Los Angeles Rams, the quarterback walked out of the team’s locker room at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, fresh off a 23-20 loss in which he was sacked seven times.

Even with a sprain to his MCL in his right leg, any limp was difficult to see. He was injured in the knee and ended the season. The last game of 2021 saw him again on the ground.

This also means that the Bengals’ offseason conversation will be the same as the one in Cincinnati 2021: Is the franchise doing enough for its quarterback? The Bengals have the draft picks and the money to invest in one of the most dangerous pass-blocking units within the NFL.

Zac Taylor, Bengals coach, defended O-line, but admitted that there will be improvements across the roster.

“I think that we’ll just look to improve the team any way that we can and not specific to one necessary group,” Taylor said. “The offensive line helped us get to the Super Bowl. They gave us opportunities to go win the Super Bowl.”

The Bengals led almost the entire second quarter against the Rams, until Los Angeles scored with 1:25 left. Cincinnati surrendered seven sacks to tie a Super Bowl record.

Taylor stated that Burrow was unable to finish Super Bowl LVI because of a sprained MCL. Burrow didn’t finish Week 17 victory over Taylor. Kansas City ChiefsBecause of a right-leg injury he claimed he sustained Dec. 5, against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Burrow, despite the Bengals’ pass-block win rate of 18% (the lowest in the NFL this year according to ESPN Stats Information), praised the offensive lines after the loss.

“They played really well upfront today,” Burrow said after the game. “They fought. Their fights throughout the season were a proud moment for me. “All of us have to improve individually, including myself.”

Nobody is debating the effort from Cincinnati’s offensive line. The unit was beaten by better defensive fronts against the Rams in Super Bowl and much of the postseason.

Two of the NFL’s most prominent pass-rushers were featured in Rams defensive tackle Aaron DonaldAnd Von Miller. Donald is the three-time Defensive Players of the Year. He is considered one the most outstanding defensive linemen to have ever played the game. Miller, who was the second overall selection in the 2011 draft is an ex-Super Bowl MVP who averaged 11.6 tackles per season over his 11-year long career.

Cincinnati’s offensive line does not have the same pedigree. Except for left tackle Jonah WilliamsThe first round pick in 2019, he was drafted by the team. The other four members of the unit were either drafted in sixth rounds (Hakeem Adeniji, Isaiah Prince) or were undrafted (Quinton Spain, Trey Hopkins).

The group fought all year but Cincinnati was 30th in pass-block win rate. Burrow was also sacked 70 times during 20 starts, including the playoffs.

“You don’t want your quarterback to get hit one time, let alone however many times it was, not even counting the things that weren’t sacks, just him getting hit in general,” Bengals tight end C.J. UzomahAfter the loss, they said.

Uzomah said that Burrow has been hard hit by a sprained MCL injury.

“I mean, that’s [Joey] Franchise, right? You don’t want to see your franchise quarterback as many times as he did,” Uzomah said. “That’s probably going to be a point of emphasis coming up.”

Starting with the 31st overall pick, Cincinnati has its full allotment of draft picks, including an extra seventh-rounder acquired in last year’s trade with the New York Giants.

Cincinnati could benefit from that capital and the $48.9m in starting salary space to try to make improvements. Spain and the right tackle Riley ReiffThe Bengals will need to determine if the 2021 second-round selection is available for them. Jackson CarmanRight guard can provide a long-term solution.

In previous years, the Bengals attempted to use high draft picks for offensive linemen. Center Billy Price(2018). Cedric OgbuehiFor different reasons, 2015 didn’t work out for Cincinnati in 2015. The Bengals believe that Carman will be a major contributor.

This year’s Super Bowl run showed that the time for rebuilding is over. Cincinnati is now in the championship window. That means fixing weak spots on the roster immediately if the Bengals want to be competing at the game’s highest level.