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?
I dont think our oline is completely horrible it is average when healthy. Id rather bring back trent for one more year and draft a qb high and then get an olineman next year. Not many FA lineman this coming year
Re-sign Onwenu and then we will talk.
Drafting a LT and letting Onwenu walk is basically a wash.
I’m good with drafting an LT if Maye and Harrison are gone, if not, take an OT in the second round.
This is one of the deepest QB drafts in recent memory, maybe of the last 30+ years. Too many people are sleeping on the other QBs. There could be 6 QBs taken in the first round. If we find a QB we like a lot we should be taking him in round 1. We can build the line and receiver core through the rest of the draft and free agency. Next year, who knows where we will be drafting and who will be available at QB?
QB is now CLEARLY the priority.
You can find OL available in FA, and have a better chance of finding starting caliber OL later in the draft. It’s also more readily improved by coaching and scheme. A good OT and Center can help a subpar guard, you can chip with TE to help a Tackle, you can keep your back in to pick up a blitz…
You can’t do these things as easily, really at all, with a QB. Elite QBs don’t teach FA.
There’s also a higher concentration of 1st Rd picks as “franchise” QBs in the NFL. I airquote that as some guys aren’t truly franchise guys, but the team is treating them as such currently. The Manning rule, Flag happy refs in the passing game, and NBA foul style roughing the QB calls has given a greater advantage to elite QBs, and it’s leaving average QBs in the dust.
In the past, an average starter wouldn’t be getting eclipsed by the franchise guys every single week. It was easier for defenses to limit how badly elite passing games wouldn eviscerate them. A 3 TD 300 yd game was impressive, now we see 5 of them a weekend.
Now when the 10th ranked QB can get to 30 TDs and 4500 yds, you can’t compete with a guy throwing for 15 TDs and 3000 yds.
We are ranked 31st out of O-lines, we definitely need some changes
The OL play across the entire league is down. There have been a dearth of guys who don’t seem to be able to translate into the NFL blocking schemes over the past few years.
That said it is still a premium spot to have a rock solid left tackle and good over all line to prevent your QB from getting pressured and/or killed.
The Bengals have had issues with their line since before drafting Burrow and the argument the year they took Chase was “burrow just sat out a year because of a knee injury because of a poor OL. Take Penei Sewell and don’t hesitate”. They took Chase who has been awesome but wouldn’t having Sewell maybe have prevented this Thursdays injury?
For the pats. I am all for taking a QB high IF that guy is a fool proof can’t miss prospect and fits whatever offense they are running. But I’d rather have the franchise left tackle and a rock solid OL. Look at San Fran. Brock Purdy looks good when that line is firing on all cylinders.
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.