There was a post on the main NFL subreddit that discussed the line issues the Bengals have as of right now. According to the post, Burrow has been sacked 148 in 52 Games, Luck was sacked 115 in 55. We all know what happened with Luck and now Burrow is out for the year from all the hits he’s taken. The priority this offseason in the draft and FA should be Oline. No QB is gonna succeed behind what the Pats have as of now so why is taking a potential franchise LT not seen as ideal with the fan base as of late?
It is possible objectively speaking to do both. In theory, you SHOULD be all set going forward along the interior, having spent multiple draft picks at those positions over the past two seasons. Strange, Sow, Andrews (the newer one), and Mafi are all 1st or 2nd year players. Gotta think between those 4 guys, OG Andrews, and them likely resigning either Brown or Onwenu they should be able to come up with at least 3 or 4 legitimate starters. That basically just leaves one of the tackle positions. While they could reasonably select one of the top 2 tackles if they wind up picking somewhere between 4-6, if they find themselves in the top 3 it would be foolish to ignore the opportunity to select one of the top 2 QBs or a can’t-miss, offense-altering WR1 in Harrison Jr.
Personally, I thought it was a HUGE mistake not trading and rolling forward some of those mid round picks last offseason to put towards this year’s draft, as this year’s class is EXTREMELY deep at many positions of need. There will be legitimate starting caliber talent at OT, Edge, and WR out there on day 2 of this draft. Having a really strong draft in rounds 2-4 this year could really alter the direction of this franchise pretty quickly. Unfortunately, Belichick felt kicker and punter were more pressing needs and spent 3 of those mid round picks on that instead.