A Free Agent Fix for the Bengals' Offensive Line
Super Bowl LVI showed the rest of the country what Bengals fans have long lamented: the team has a terrible offensive line. They simply cannot protect Joe Burrow, who was sacked a whopping 70 times this season, good for third-most all time. If the Bengals ever want to have a prayer of winning the big one, they need to keep their franchise quarterback upright.
A common refrain among Bengals’ faithful for the past two offseasons has been, “They need to sign some offensive linemen!” But, to paraphrase the Bengals’ brass, you can’t just go out to Walmart and pick one of these guys off the shelf. There is a very limited set of people in the world with the size, athleticism, and agility to play offensive line in the NFL; even fewer who can play it at a high level; and even fewer still who make it to free agency. So, to help set reasonable expectations for Bengals fans, it would be helpful to look at which offensive linemen are potentially available in free agency this off-season, and how they were graded by Pro Football Focus (PFF) this past season. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll only be looking at guys who graded out at a 60.0 or better on PFF. And for frame of reference, here is the 2021 PFF grade for each of the Bengals’ starting offensive linemen from their Super Bowl squad:
RT Isaiah Prince - 58.0
RG Hakeem Adeniji - 48.3
C Trey Hopkins - 51.4
LG Quinton Spain - 72.3
LT Jonah Williams - 77.5
Let’s take a look at how these guys compare to the potential replacements that are available.
Right Tackle
Incumbents:
Riley Reiff - 33 years old / 67.3 PFF grade / 4 sacks allowed / 711 snaps
Isaiah Prince - 24 years old / 58.0 PFF grade / 3 sacks allowed / 384 snaps
Free agent options:
Trent Brown - 28 / 77.6 / 1 sack / 489 snaps
Morgan Moses - 30 / 71.0 / 4 sacks / 1022 snaps
Brandon Shell - 30 / 67.0 / 3 sacks / 550 snaps
Nate Solder - 33 / 60.3 / 6 sacks / 927 snaps
Analysis: If Trent Brown is available, he’s the only clear upgrade over Riley Reiff. However, he has struggled with motivation, weight issues, and injuries. It is probably best to re-sign Reiff to a team-friendly deal for one more year while turning to the draft for a potential long-term replacement. Alternatively, they could sign a left tackle (see below) and move Jonah Williams to right tackle.
Right Guard
Incumbents:
Jackson Carman - 22 years old / 56.3 PFF grade / 0 sacks allowed / 462 snaps
Hakeem Adeniji - 24 years old / 48.3 PFF grade / 3 sacks allowed / 555 snaps
Free agent options:
Alex Cappa - 27 / 74.2 / 5 sacks / 1182
Brandon Scherff - 30 / 73.6 / 0 sacks / 697
James Daniels - 24 / 71.0 / 3 sacks / 1121
Will Hernandez - 26 / 55.9 / 7 sacks / 1049
Analysis: Hernandez technically didn’t qualify because his PFF grade was too low, but I included him because I’ve heard several Bengals fans clamoring that the team bring him in. This grade shows that he’s on par with what we’ve already got. The other three free agent options, though, are intriguing. Scherff is the biggest “name” and likely the most expensive - and also the oldest - so I’d be surprised if the Bengals went in that direction. Alex Cappa and James Daniels are both intriguing options, though. For my money, Daniels is the most enticing, because he’s only 24 years old, gave up fewer sacks, and also has the versatility to play center in a pinch. He doesn’t grade out as a pro bowler, but the Bengals don’t need pro bowl play. They just need league average. They’ve been below league-average for a long time. My fear, though, is that they look at the draft capital they invested in Jackson Carman last year and don’t bring in any competition for the RG job.
Center
Incumbent:
Trey Hopkins - 29 years old / 51.4 PFF grade / 4 sacks allowed / 928 snaps
Free agent options:
Jason Kelce - 34 / 84.4 / 1 / 993
Ben Jones - 32 / 77.8 / 1 / 1160
Ryan Jensen - 30 / 70.3 / 2 / 1151
Ethan Pocic - 26 / 67.3 / 2 / 600
Matt Paradis - 32 / 66.9 / 2 / 568
Analysis: Is there any more obvious target here than Jason Kelce? He’s the only FA offensive lineman that grades above an 80, and he fills the Bengals’ position of greatest need. Trey Hopkins was a bright spot for the Bengals offensive line for a long time, but he was absolutely dreadful in 2021. Kelce played his college ball at the University of Cincinnati, so this would be a homecoming of sorts for him. Perhaps the opportunity to play with Joe Burrow and chase another ring would be enticing for him? Although he’s the oldest center on the list, top centers can often play at a high level into their mid to late 30s. Even if the Bengals strike out on Kelce, Ben Jones or Ryan Jensen would be tremendous consolation prizes. And Ethan Pocic and Matt Paradis, while not stellar, would still represent massive upgrades on Hopkins. The point is, they really need to come out of free agency with a center, given all of the talent that will be on the market that would allow them to upgrade the position.
Left Guard
Incumbent:
Quinton Spain - 30 years old / 72.3 PFF grade / 5 sacks allowed / 995 snaps
Free agent options:
Connor Williams - 24 / 76.1 / 1 sack /948 snaps
Dan Feeney - 27 / 75.9 / 0 sacks / 185 snaps
Laken Tomlinson - 30 / 75.9 / 2 sacks / 1094
Andrew Norwell - 30 / 66.7 / 3 sacks / 1078
Analysis: Connor Williams, Dan Feeney, and Laken Tomlinson all grade out fairly similarly. Williams is probably the best of the bunch, as his pass block grade was in the 86th percentile this past season among guards, and his run block grade was in the 84th percentile. (For comparison’s sake, Spain graded out at the 33rd percentile pass blocking and 63rd percentile run blocking.) Williams would likely be quite expensive, though, as he’s a young player seeking his first big contract, and the Brown family isn’t know for spending on interior offensive linemen. As far as the other options, Laken Tomlinson is probably the biggest “name,” but he really only represents a marginal upgrade over Spain. Same for Dan Feeney, and his grade is based on far fewer snaps. Given those contexts, it’s probably best for team continuity to just return Spain for another season (although that 33rd percentile pass blocking grade is alarming). Given Spain’s age, he’s probably not looking to break the bank. It would be wise, though, to bring in someone like Feeney in a backup role, as he showed in a limited sample this year that he can offer competent play at the LG spot. I couldn’t fault the team if they decide to spend big on Williams, though, especially given that pass blocking grade.
Left tackle
Incumbent:
Jonah Williams - 24 years old / 77.5 PFF grade/ 8 sacks allowed / 1044 snaps
Free agent options:
Joseph Noteboom - 26 / 76.0 / 1 sack / 174 snaps
Terron Armstead - 30 / 75.9 / 1 sack / 468 snaps
Orlando Brown - 25 / 75.2 / 4 sacks / 1127 snaps
Duane Brown - 36 / 71.5 / 8 sacks / 969 snaps
Eric Fisher - 31 / 68.2 / 7 sacks / 874 snaps
Cam Robinson - 26 / 67.4 / 1 sack / 856 snaps
Analysis: Believe it or not, despite the 8 sacks, Jonah Williams grades out higher than every single left tackle that is available this off-season. As such, it appears that he’ll be back as the Bengals’ left tackle in 2022, and is likely to have his 5th year option exercised for the following season if an extension cannot be reached. One option that the Bengals may want to consider, though, is signing Noteboom, Armstead, or Zeus Jr., and moving Jonah to right tackle. Such a move would upgrade the right tackle spot while still ensuring competent play at left tackle.
So, what will they do? If I had to guess, I suspect that they’ll take their biggest swing in free agency at center. There are several players available who would provide immediate and substantial upgrades at the pivot. They will likely re-sign Riley Reiff to stabilize right tackle while also drafting his successor with a Day 1 or 2 pick. Jonah Williams and Quinton Spain are likely to be back at LT and LG, respectively. The real wild card question is whether they’ll be willing to open the checkbook for an Alex Cappa or James Daniels to stabilize right guard, or if they’ll go about “business as usual” and bank on continued development from Jackson Carman. For the sake of their star quarterback, let’s hope they’re willing to pay - even overpay - for a quality right guard.