Breaking Down the State of the Bengals' Offensive Line Going Into Preseason Finale in Washington

Cincinnati has better depth in the trenches this season. Who will make the final cut?

Author:
Parker Blake
Publish date:
Aug 24, 2023 12:09 PM EDT

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As we head into Saturday's preseason finale, there's been a lot of talk about the depth in the Bengals' offensive line room.

I've seen a lot of positive things out of these guys that are battling for roster spots in their first two exhibition games. As always, there's ups and downs, but overall, there's a lot to be excited about!

The biggest headline last Friday was Jonah Williams getting his first live reps at right tackle. He only had 10 snaps (11 plays, one negated due to Cody Ford penalty), but he looked solid in his debut.

I graded him with only two negative plays (both in the run game).

He was in there to see how everything felt at the new spot and to knock the rust off after a long offseason that was mostly focused on recovering from knee surgery. While he didn't jump off the screen, Bengals fans should be excited to see the best offensive line this team has seen in a long time. Yes, that includes seeing Williams line up at right tackle.

Preseason Week 2: Recap

I already wrote about Jackson Carman leading the group in overall snaps taken (14 more snaps than the next player on the list) in Friday's tie with Atlanta. He showed a lot more promise than I expected. He slightly improved from last week's grade (before his lackluster 4th quarter performance) with a 73.02%. He looked a lot more balanced, grading out at 79.41% and 70.65% as a run blocker and pass protector, respectively.

In other tackle news, D'Ante Smith put together another solid performance as a swing tackle and was more limited in reps. He made good use of his 27 snaps, finishing the game with a 64.81% score, highlighted by a team leading 91.67% run blocking grade. I was disappointed by his performance in pass protection. He still needs to work on getting to his spot quicker in order to stretch pass rushers vertically around the pocket.

Smith struggled with allowing edge players to shorten the corner on their way to the quarterback. However, when he was able to make early contact, his play strength was on full display and he even put a few guys on the ground.

After a performance that left quite a bit to be desired in preseason Week 1, Jaxson Kirkland came out firing against the Falcons. Through his 40 snaps, he graded out at the top of the class with an 88.75% overall grade. He showed a lot of great things in pass protection (93.55% grade) allowing zero pressures and only one quarterback hit. If Kirkland can keep this up through the final game of the preseason, he will convince me that No. 60 can potentially be their heir apparent to Alex Cappa.

Preseason Week 3: Players to Watch

Trey Hill has been one of my main focuses throughout these last couple games. With the number of different players working at the center position and competing to be Ted Karras' backup (and, potentially, the overall fourth IOL spot), he needed to have success this preseason. After a disappointing showing in his first outing, he was able to make a huge leap (more than doubling his overall grade) against the Falcons. He ended up with extra credit in pass protection, a clean sheet (not allowing a pressure, let alone a sack or even quarterback hit) and the second highest overall grade of the group.

However, he still leave a lot to be desired in the run game and struggles with play strength. I'll be watching Hill closely this week against the Commanders.

Ben Brown is a guy that excels in the traditional offensive line mentality of, "the less I hear about you, the better you're doing." While only having 14 snaps, he still put together an impressive performance. Brown is a versatile interior lineman that can play either guard or center.

I would like to see the Bengals give him some more playing, however, I suspect they'd like to sneak him onto the practice squad in his second year with the team. He's consistent and may be another developmental player that could end up being a long-term piece in the offensive line room.

Max Scharping is another player to watch this week. While he's been a steady performer for this interior (and my personal favorite in the battle for the first IOL off the bench), he's left me wanting more after two preseason games. Not only has he been battling for a job all preseason, but he's also been learning a new position in order to help himself provide more value to the offensive line room. Scharping has been a fair pass protector through two games, but I have to see him have success in the run game on Saturday. That's been a weak point for him throughout the preseason.

Versatility is still a point of emphasis for Frank Pollack, but I believe fans should be able to sleep a little easier knowing that there are multiple players in his group that will be more than capable of filling in any gaps should the time come. It almost feels as if the years of poor offensive line play for the Bengals could almost be over.

Let's see how these guys do on Saturday night, as Cincinnati's quest to project Joe Burrow continues.

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