Pass Protection Boost One of Biggest Themes of Bengals 2025 Draft Class

CINCINNATI – Several themes coursed through the 2025 draft for the Cincinnati Bengals – maturity, versatility and the sweetest chords of all to Joe Burrow’s ears, pass protection.

In addition to doubling dipping at linebacker with the selections of South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight in the second round and Clemson’s Barrett Carter in the fourth, the Bengals doubled down on offensive linemen that excel as pass blockers.

Georgia’s Dylan Fairchild, the team’s third-round pick, was Pro Football Focus’ No. 1-graded guard in pass protection from 2023-24 with nastiness oozing out of him.

“Statistically, he’s been a very efficient pass protector, and obviously that’s something that we value,” Pitcher said.

Miami’s Jalen Rivers, a fifth-round tackle-guard hybrid, excels on dropbacks as well.

“He’s an excellent pass protector,” Pitcher said of Rivers. “You see that all over the tape. We think he’s got potential in the run game. He’s a solid run blocker. We think he’s got a lot of room for growth there. He helps us in a bunch of different spots.”

As much as the Bengals are growing their running game with the emergence of Chase Brown, the signing of Samaje Perine in free agency, the sixth-round selection of Texas Tech’s Tajh Boyd and Zack Moss’ return injury, it’s still a pass-first and pass-often offense.

And reducing not just the number of sacks Burrow absorbs but the pressure and hits has been the No. 1 focus off the offseason for Pitcher, head coach Zac Taylor and new offensive line coach Scott Peters.

Pitcher made it clear Friday night at the left guard job is Fairchild’s to win, and the former two-time state champion wrestler said he is going to live and die by protecting Burrow and that it will be “the biggest honor of my life.”

That leaves free-agent signing Lucas Patrick, Cody Ford, Cordell Volson and Jaxon Kirkland in the mix at right guard.

After Saturday, you can add Rivers to the mix.

“Listen, I’m not taking anything off the table standing up here today,” Pitcher said. “We added a really good player who is talented, who is big, who is tough, who is made of the right stuff. So those players tend to find a way to get on the field.”

Burrow led the NFL in dropbacks in 2024 with 700 and hits taken with 112, and he was tied for fourth in sacks taken (48).

Since 2021, Burrow ranks fifth in dropbacks (2,743), second in sacks (196) and fifth in hits (452) – and that’s with missing 13 games due to injuries.

Asked how much offensive guard taped he watched this offseason, Pitcher admitted it was a lot.

“It was a good percentage of the overall tape that I watched,” he said. “I’d struggle to put a number on it. And it wasn’t just me. Scott (Peters) and Michael (McCarthy), Justin Rascati — I had him watching some too. A lot of guys invested a lot of time in studying these players.”

And what were they looking for in identifying quality pass blockers?

“I think you’re looking for traits, you’re looking for length, you’re looking for play demeanor,” Pitcher said. “You’re looking for — the same thing I touched on last night — the ability to anchor, set a firm pocket, set width to the pocket on the perimeter. How do they react when having to counter the moves of the rusher?

“It all blends together, and we think we added two guys in that room that are going to be good NFL pass protectors.”

While the Bengals had obvious needs for upgrades at guard, their offense is still among the best in the league.

Finding a pair of offensive linemen to boost the protection on the interior could get the Bengals were they want to be.

“We feel great about where we are as an offense,” Pitcher said. “If we were being self-critical, the area that was most readily available for improvement was in that room, and so we’ve devoted valuable resources to improving that room,” Pitcher said. “How that shakes out, I have no idea, but I know we got better.”