Is The Browns Second Team Offensive Line As Good As The Bengals Starters?
The Cleveland Browns made monumental upgrades to their offensive line by signing Jack Conklin in free agency as well as adding Jedrick Wills and Nick Harris in the 2020 NFL Draft while the Cincinnati Bengals did little to improve one of, if not the worst offensive lines in the NFL in 2019, despite drafting Joe Burrow first overall in April. The Browns find themselves with quality at numerous spots depth while the Bengals hope they have a couple quality starters.
This is a little unfair to Jonah Williams, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury almost as soon as he put a Bengals helmet on as a rookie. The fact is he didn't play, so while the team has high hopes for him protecting Burrow's blind side, he has yet to prove it. Of the players who have actually contributed, the best for the Bengals is Trey Hopkins, the team's center.
Meanwhile, the depth at tackle for Browns is better than anything Bobbie Hart has ever done. Chris Hubbard was dreadful last season, which is only slightly worse than Hart was, but Hubbard was significantly better in 2018. Kendall Lamm was the best lineman Deshaun Watson had in 2018 with the Houston Texans, which isn't saying much, but it's certainly better than Hart.
Billy Price has struggled with both injury and poor play since he was a first round pick. He may be the team's right guard after Hopkins supplanted him at the center spot. Staying healthy and getting consistent practice time may help him break through and become a functional, but it's difficult to bank on what he's done to this point.
For the Browns, right guard is the one competition the team is likely to have for a starting spot. Wyatt Teller was acquired for a fifth and sixth round pick from the Buffalo Bills right as the 2019 season was set to start. He flipped from left guard to right guard and started half the season, doing reasonably well under difficult circumstances.
Drew Forbes has prototypical athletic tools and looked promising last year despite coming out of a small school in Southeastern Missouri State. A knee injury put him on injured reserve right as the season was about to start. The Browns thought enough of Forbes they did some roster juggling to allow him to be put on short term injured reserve, coming back late in the season. He didn't really play much, but he was able to practice and improve.
Whoever loses this job becomes the second team right guard and is likely no worse than anything Price has done at this point. To this point in their careers, Teller has most certainly been better.
Center, the Bengals simply win. Hopkins is a quality, capable center. He's not a star and he's not as good as J.C. Tretter, but Nick Harris is a rookie. The only other center options the Browns have that has actually played an NFL snap is Evan Brown, who isn't as good as Hopkins.
Brown, who has experience at left guard, might be about as good as Xavier Su'a-Filo, signed in free agency and is projected to start at left guard for the Bengals. Su'a-Filo was a talented prospect coming out of UCLA (I was a fan) when he was selected as a second round pick by the Texans in 2014. 29 years old, Su'a-Filo has never been a good run blocker, but he did show pretty well as a pass protector in 2019. Six seasons into his career, he's a place holder the Bengals are praying they can get through the year with until they can replace him.
If Jonah Williams doesn't provide a massive boost for the Bengals, they are in huge trouble. Hopkins is a solid starting center, but unless Price breaks through this season, the Bengals have three starting positions on the line they need to replace not unlike the situation the Browns found themselves in last year when they started Greg Robinson at left tackle, Eric Kush at right guard and Hubbard at right tackle.
The problem for the Bengals is that Browns line was still better than what the Bengals have currently. Maybe rookie Hakeem Adeniji can offer some hope. The former Kansas Jayhawk was the only offensive lineman the Bengals drafted in April, acquired in the sixth round. He had legitimate NFL physical tools and is making the switch from tackle to guard.
Overall, the Bengals have a bunch of talented offensive weapons, a rookie quarterback they are hoping can change the fortunes of the franchise and they have almost nothing proven to block for him in a division where every opponent has an excellent defensive line. The Bengals should certainly look at doing everything they can to sign Larry Warford to provide a significant upgrade to one of their guard spots, but they might still need to do some work on the waiver wire ahead of the season.
The Browns, on the other hand, have one of the most talented lines in the league on paper. Rookie Jedrick Wills has to prove himself at left tackle and whoever wins the right guard spot needs to stabilize it, but the group as a whole is young and extremely athletic with three proven studs. Should the Bengals fail to upgrade with Warford, they will have to keep their fingers crossed that Burrow doesn't get killed his rookie season and then take a similar approach as the Browns did this offseason and make a significant investment to properly protect their future.
