Former Bengals Offensive Lineman Signs With NFC Team in 2026 Free Agency, Possible Draft Target Position

Former Bengals starting guard Lucas Patrick is suiting up in the NFC this fall. The Giants announced on Monday that they signed the big fella to a new deal after he played one season for Cincinnati last fall.

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The 6-foot-3, 313-pound lineman has seen action in 113 games with 65 starts after starting his NFL tenure undrafted in 2017. Patrick now heads to the Big Apple after stints with the Green Bay Packers (2017-2021), Chicago Bears (2022-2023), New Orleans Saints (2024), and Cincinnati Bengals (2025).

Patrick started one game last season early in the campaign while the organization was working through its guard hierarchy. He appeared in six games with one start for the Bengals last season after injuring his calf in Week 1 and ultimately getting his spot taken over by newly re-signed guard Dalton Risner.

Offensive Line A Draft Option

Cincinnati Bengals guard Lucas Patrick (62) stands before the NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Oct. 16, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cincinnati may end up adding more to the offensive line in the 2026 NFL Draft, which gets rolling on April 23.

Loving football is the top trait the director of player personnel, Duke Tobin, is looking for.

“The number one trait is that you have to love football. You have to be playing football because you enjoy the game," Tobin said at the 2026 NFL Combine. "If you're playing football just because of what it brings you, it's normally not gonna be a long-term thing for you. You have to be playing football because you love doing it. And so we really wanna know, does the guy love football? If it didn't bring the things that NFL football brings, which are great, but if it didn'tbring those things, would he still be playing? Would he still be playing in the Arena Football League or wanting to go to the CFL? Or does he love the game? And then we can build off of that. Does he have the traits to play? Does he have the speed, the size, the strength? Does he have the production? Can he develop the production?

"Those things all come after, ‘does the guy enjoy being out there, being in the locker room and competing?’ And that's the number one thing we're trying to find. It's not easy to put a pin on that. Nobody will raise their hand and say, nah, I'm not about that. They'll tell you they're about it, but you have to judge their actions, how they play, their interactions with their teammates, the information you get from the sources at the school, and you have to divine whether the guy really enjoys what he wants to do for a living.”

A depth addition at any spot along the offensive line seems plausible in a few weeks. Getting someone to develop at center and play along the other two guard spots could be a good idea as Ted Karras (33 years old) continues to work through his 30s.

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