'Never Corrected This Issue - Major Voice Still Skeptical of Important Part of Bengals 2026 Offense

The Bengals brought back their entire starting offensive line from last season, but one major analyst doesn't see that continuity translating into impressive blocking.

ESPN analyst Louis Riddick has been bullish on the Bengals this summer, but the offensive line is still a big problem in his eyes.

"As much as they are a trendy pick, and as good as Joe Burrow is, and as many investments they made on the defensive side of the ball, you saw the preseason game against Detroit, right? You saw how many times Joe got hit in that game, right?" Riddick said on Get Up recently. "The offensive line is still a problem that could derail everything. I love the additions they made on defense, and I'm with you. I'm as optimistic as anyone. This offensive line still scares me. They have never corrected this issue, and I still don't believe it has been corrected. I think Joe's going to have to overcome it."

This flies in the face of how Cincinnati's blocking group performed down the stretch last season, ranking fourth in Pro Football Focus's pass-blocking efficiency across the final 11 weeks of the season.

Group Effort

Jan 4, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) sacks Joe Burrow — Jan 4, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) sacks Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) during the fourth quarter at Paycor Stadium. The play set a new NFL single season sack record by Garrett. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One preseason game doesn't spell disaster for this group.

Most of the issues came with Orlando Brown Jr.'s snaps as he gave up a pressure and a quarterback hit, but then in the joint practice later against Chicago's starters, he was a brick wall in pass blocking.

It's a collective effort that has to keep Burrow upright, including the QB himself. Joe Flacco was much better last season at getting the ball out fast and avoiding pressure than Burrow has been for much of his career.

The Bengals' most-important player has to find the right balance between holding the ball for big plays and bailing before crushing hits. Flacco ranked sixth among qualified quarterbacks in pressure-to-sack ratio last season (12.2%), while Burrow was 30th (19.8%). That mirrors Burrow's whole career.

He has to get that number closer to 10% or lower.

Accessing more diverse schemes through under center plays can be another way to curb pressure as well. Burrow and the whole offense have worked on that all summer and should add more under center snaps than ever before this fall.

"Yeah, we're still figuring it out. I think number one, we have to be more consistent," Burrow said last week. "We've shown flashes, but not terribly consistent, and so we have to be better at that for sure. And I definitely play a role in that. So, we have some things to fix, but we got three weeks until the first game, so we still got some time."

Check out the full clip from Riddick below:

“The offensive line is still a problem. That could derail everything.”@LRiddickESPN breaks down what the Bengals need to fix before the season starts 👀 pic.twitter.com/GgPqUBaDOb
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 26, 2026

The 2025 Bengals OL ranked

16th in Pass Block Efficiency (PFF)

And if you use the final 11 weeks, they were 4th best in PBE.

They were 27th in weeks 1-7 with a new OL coach and two rookies playing.

They were charged with 7 sacks in those final 11 weeks. That was 4th best.… pic.twitter.com/mSCmrGdEUU
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) July 8, 2026

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon.

Add us as a preferred source on Google