Cincinnati Bengals Free Agency Preview: Familiarity, Versatility Highlight Patrick Mekari’s Appeal As New Guard

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Bengals coaches and players often talk about how the AFC North is just different, something that was echoed by members of the other three organizations throughout the seven-episode run on Hard Knocks that was dedicated to covering the division this season.

And three of Pro Football Focus’ top nine guards in free agency have extensive experience playing in the division.

We already covered Kevin Zeitler and James Daniels while looking at options for the Bengals to upgrade the interior of their offensive line.

Next up is Patrick Mekari, who comes in eighth on PFF’s list of guards and No. 64 overall.

Undrafted out of California in 2019, Mekari has played every position along the offensive line in his six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

He made seven starts at center as a rookie, including one in the Division Round of the playoffs.

He played right guard and right tackle for six games before switching back to center in Week 11, 2020, holding that job through the end of the season and two more playoff games.

Mekari moved to right tackle full time in 2021, and he played both left tackle (10 games) and right tackle (seven games) in 2022, and he continued to line up on both sides in 2023.

This season, he started 16 games at left guard.

“The more I did it, the more natural it became,” Mekari told the Baltimore Banner about constantly switching positions. “But I wouldn’t say it’s natural. I think it’s still something that’s difficult.”

Barring an injury, Mekari would slot in at either left or right guard and presumably ride that out for the duration of the season. With Alex Cappa a likely cap casualty and Cordell Volson coming back from a season in which he was benched, Mekari would be an upgrade at either spot.

His experience at both tackle spots and center would be a bonus in terms of insurance.

Previous Guard Profiles

PFF ranked Mekari as the No. 18 pass-blocking guard last season but had him 45th overall.

After proving himself in his first two seasons in the league, Mekari signed a three-year, $15.5 million extension to stay in Baltimore through 2024.

He’s played in 88 games with 53 starts in his six seasons and has never been on Injured Reserve.

Mekari, who will turn 28 in August, is projected by both Spotrac and PFF to sign a three-year deal this offseason.

PFF has three years for $20.6 million ($8.7 million per year), while Spotrac projects him to cash in even more with a three-year, $31 million deal, which likely would price him out of range for the Bengals.

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