Why the Bengals Are Reversing Course With Jalen Rivers - and Why He's More Than Fine With It

The question started as early as March, and the Cincinnati Bengals are in the process of answering it – they hope – this week with a position change for a 2025 draft pick.

Speaking with reporters the NFL owners meetings five months ago, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said offensive line depth and specifically the swing tackle position was a high priority.

Taylor said ideally the Bengals would be able to keep Jalen Rivers, last year’s fifth-round pick, at guard, the position they moved him to after he played left tackle in the preseason opener as a rookie.

“He does have traits to play a lot of different spots, so you don’t put yourself in that hole necessarily,” Taylor said. “But that’s probably best for his development to be in one spot.”

Less than three weeks into training camp, and what’s best for the team is trumping what’s best for Rivers.

The three-way competition for the swing tackle job between Cody Ford, Javon Foster and Andrew Coker has been less than inspiring for the coaching staff.

So, Rivers has headed back to outside to tackle, playing left tackle with the 2s exclusively since Saturday.

“They told me after the (Detroit) game, “Hey, we’re gonna see what you can do at tackle as well,” Rivers said after Tuesday’s practice, his third in a row playing left tackle.

“I can’t say it caught me by surprise,” he said. “It’s important to work at both, and this just improves my game even more. Improves my knowledge of the game, too. It’s helped me tremendously.”

For Rivers, one year of familiarity playing guard is no match for the lifetime of change he has endured since first putting on pads.

“This is not new to me,” he said. “At Miami, I would be the starting left guard, (and) during camp in the spring I'm working left tackle the whole week. Shoot, even center.

“I've been cross training my whole life,” Rivers continued. “It's just a different ballgame because this is the first time I've been at a position for a whole year.”

In his final year at Miami, Rivers played left guard and left tackle – in the same game – six times.

He was solely a left tackle in games in 2023, and only a left guard in 2021-22. And in 2020 he played left tackle and right tackle in limited game reps.

“It’s obviously hard any time you’re asked to move sides or move positions,” Bengals starting left guard Orlando Brown Jr. said. “Just in terms of his versatility and want to and passion for the game, it definitely shows on tape.”

Brown went through a change early in his career when the Ravens moved him to right tackle after he had only played left in college.

He was quick to point out many great tackles who started their careers as guards, such as Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden, current Pro Bowl tackle Laremy Tunsil and Bengals Ring of Honor member – and possible Pro Football Hall of Famer – Andrew Whitworth.

“There’s many examples of that over the history of the NFL,” Brown said.

Brown has struggled against new defensive Boye Mafe and some other edge rushers in camp, and Thursday night against Detroit he gave up a big hit against Joe Burrow.

But the Rivers swap isn’t related to that. The coaches are reversing course and putting Rivers back at tackle because the backup spot currently is a huge need.

You can expect Rivers to see the bulk of the second-team reps at left tackle in Thursday’s joint practice against the Bears and in Saturday’s preseason game against them.

“I feel like it's an opportunity every time. You never know,” River said. “That's why I'm attacking each day to get better. They've put me at tackle. Don't waste that opportunity.”

The biggest challenge isn’t relearning the playbook through the lens of a tackle. It’s retraining the body on the mindset and technique needed at one position vs. the other.

“Against certain stunts, as a guard, I know what I want from my tackle – to not pull too far, to get split,” Rivers said. “So as a tackle, I feel like I know what the guard would want.

“With technique, it’s just refitting your hands, playing longer, not going too fast and leaning and having to deal with more speed guys than heavy guys,” he added.

As willing as he is to cross train to improve his value as well as the strength of the offensive line and team as a whole, not to mention his chance of making the 53-man roster, Rivers admitted that one day down the line, he’d like to have a defined position.

“At some point, of course you want to lock in,” he said. “But at the same time, it’s good to show them, ‘What if he can the swing guard and the swing tackle?’

“But yeah, of course, eventually you want to play a permanent spot.”

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