Pair of Bengals Offensive Linemen Deemed Top X-Factor For 2026 Season

The Bengals will have plenty of key contributors stand out if they end up getting back into the playoffs this January for the first time since the 2022 season.

ESPN's NFL team dove into all 32 NFL rosters this week and dialed into Cincinnati's X-Factor for a return to relevance this fall. Seth Walder thinks the left side of Joe Burrow's protection unit will carry the most weight in the win/loss column.

Weak Links?

Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (75) performs an under the bar drill at the Bengals NFL practice in Cincinnati on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Orlando Brown Jr. is fresh off inking a contract extension this offseason, while his left guard running mate, Dylan Fairchild, is ready to see the game slow down a bit for him in Year 2.

"Orlando Brown Jr. and Dylan Fairchild ranked in the bottom 20th percentile in pass block win rate at their position last season, and keeping quarterback Joe Burrow upright is critical to Cincinnati's success. Brown has posted far better win rates in the past, and Fairchild was a rookie, so both could be better in 2026," Walder wrote.

ESPN's pass-block win rate metric will likely never have many kind things to say about the Bengals' blocking unit. That five-man group blocks one-on-one more often than just about any offensive line in the NFL.

The way the team plays offense and constructs its passing attack is always going to make it difficult for anyone less than an All-Pro-level player to maintain their blocks for longer than average. Brown ended up with a 60.6 overall Pro Football Focus grade last season on 1,110 snaps, a grade you'd love to see closer to 70, but will take with the durability he brings. Meanwhile, Fairchild was at 59.1 overall on 961 snaps, a respectable number for a first-year rookie starter thrown into the fire.

Brown is far from overpaid at this point. He's the sixth-highest-paid left tackle by average salary this fall, making half of what Seattle's paying Charles Cross ($43 million in 2026). Every tackle from No. 16 to Brown at No. 6 is being paid between $15 and $21 million—his number is the going rate for any starting left tackle.

Continuity and health could springboard both players to better raw stats this fall; the whole line still only allowed a 5.3% sack rate last season (11th best in the league). It's not crazy to think they could both improve on those PBWR marks a bit this fall.

Check out the full piece from ESPN here.

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