Cincinnati Bengals Free Agency Preview: Rapidly Ascending Fries Has Become One of Top Guards in the League

Sep 24, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Indianapolis Colts guard Will Fries (75) stands with teammates before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Sep 24, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Indianapolis Colts guard Will Fries (75) stands with teammates before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
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Editor’s Note: As the Cincinnati Bengals look to improve their offensive line, this week we are looking at the top guards available in free agency.

CINCINNATI – One of the top guards with an expiring contract also is one of the least experienced.

The Indianapolis Colts’ Will Fries ranks as the No. 2 guard option in free agency by Pro Football Focus and No. 24 overall.

Not even a broken leg is expected to keep Fries from breaking the bank this offseason.

A seventh-round pick in 2021, Fries was the 248th player selected, going 20 picks after Trey Smith, who is the No. 1 ranked guard in this year’s free agent class.

Previous Guard Profile

A four-year starter at Penn State, Fries mostly played guard during his redshirt freshman year before switching to tackle.

Fries, who will turn 27 in April, only played 25 snaps as a rookie, but he took over the starting right guard job midway through the 2022 season due to the struggles of Danny Pinter.

He made 31 consecutive starts before fracturing his tibia in Week 5 this past season.

Fries was PFF’s No. 2-graded guard before the injury, which was a considerable jump from 2023 – his first full season as a starter – when he ranked 28th.

Like Smith, Fries is likely to command a salary out of the Bengals’ price range.

Spotrac lists Fries’ market value at $14.1 million per year, with a projected contract of four years for $56.5 million.

The combination salary and the injury rehab means Fries isn’t likely to be on Cincinnati’s radar as the team looks for new options with the expected cut of Alex Cappa and the stunted development of Cordell Volson.

Fries started when the Bengals faced the Colts in 2023, a 34-14 victory. He allowed just one pressure on 45 pass blocking snaps that day, but it resulted in a sack by Cam Sample and Germaine Pratt.

Fries allowed six pressures and two sacks on 153 pass-blocking snaps last year before the injury.

Despite the fracture, Fries is expected to cash in this spring and make a full recovery.

"Everything's going good," Fries told colts.com. "I'd like to think I'm ahead of schedule and I want to try to beat that, whatever is in my head. I'm going to do everything I can to do that.

"I know I'm gonna be the same player that I was,” he added. “I have zero doubt about it. There's going to be no problems at all. That's my plan."

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Jay Morrison
JAY MORRISON

Jay Morrison covers the Cincinnati Bengals for Bengals On SI. He has been writing about the NFL for nearly three decades. Combining a passion for stats and storytelling, Jay takes readers beyond the field for a unique look at the game and the people who play it. Prior to joining Bengals on SI, Jay covered the Cincinnati Bengals beat for The Athletic, the Dayton Daily News and Pro Football Network.