05-04-2020, 03:52 PM
I definitely wish we were going into the season with one major upgrade (not counting Jonah) made on the OL but overall it's not grave. A lot of potential on the OL, we just have to hope that the 10th time is the charm when rolling the dice on the line.
LT: Jonah should be a step up from Smith and Jerry at LT even with his inexperience. The question is if Jonah struggles, would they try him at another position? He was projected to being able to play anywhere on the line. Prince and Dugas are currently camp bodies at best and they need a definite backup (could be Fred Johnson)
LG: MJ came on and it's very easy to see why the coaches have confidence in him. I went onto Game Pass to rewatch the O-Line film from last season and MJ was always in the right spot even if he didn't always win. He gave Mixon just enough space to hit those holes. He needs polish in pass protection but as did Boling and he turned out really good by year 3. I really think he can follow that path.
C: When the guards were stabilized next to Trey, he was one of the top-rated Cs in the league. He predictably started struggling when Jerry and Redmond were next to him as anyone would. Do I think he'll be a top center for a whole season? Probably not. He's just an okay center but that's fine for now.
RG is where it gets tricky. XSF seems to be a better scheme fit but can he play RG without missing a beat? I don't have faith in Price at this point but he has been injured and RG is where he should've been playing to begin with. The staff clearly likes him and trusts him to make a jump. I do remember seeing somewhere where he had a 62 in run blocking on PFF during the 2nd half of the season so maybe if he develops more awareness in pass protection, he might put it all together? Adenji is receiving a lot of praise as the biggest OL steal in the draft, but still, a 6th round pick at the end of the day. He'll most likely need a year on the bench. As for Alex Redmond, I believe he'll be cut if a better backup option ends up on waivers.
RT: Bobby Hart must go at all costs. Bring up the PFF grades all you want, he's a weakness no matter how you look at it. He got destroyed by the top teams we played, and only fared considerably better because of Dalton coming back. I'm being cautious about the Fred Johnson hype but no denying he played well and the offense scoring 30 points in both games he played proves that.
The Bengals will clearly be using the waiver wire so I think any concerns about depth will be solved. I don't think Isaiah Prince will stick and they will see that. I don't think Jason Peters will be brought in unless an injury happens and a Joe Thuney trade is unrealistic at this point. I think they explored a Gabe Jackson trade but are probably afraid of a Cordy Glenn 2.0 situation so unless it's for a 5th round pick I don't see them exploring it.
Jonah-XSF-Hopkins-Jordan-Johnson is a best-case scenario if we're looking at the best five currently. I recall MJ playing some RG in college so a transition there might be easier for him than it would be for XSF. Johnson could be a darkhorse for RG too as he's projected best at guard.
If they get extensions for AJ and/or Mixon done and they have 5-6 mil left over, then I believe Peters will be brought in and we could see a lineup of
Peters-MJ-Hopkins-XSF-Williams
Peters might be willing to play RT but I also don't think it'd be the end of the world if Jonah played RT his first year. He has more than enough experience at RT in comparison to Peters and it'll be less pressure for him coming off the injury. Plus, Peters would be a major addition in experience and leadership and that can't be overlooked. Palmer had Willie, Dalton had Whit. Burrow definitely needs that guy on the OL.
LT: Jonah should be a step up from Smith and Jerry at LT even with his inexperience. The question is if Jonah struggles, would they try him at another position? He was projected to being able to play anywhere on the line. Prince and Dugas are currently camp bodies at best and they need a definite backup (could be Fred Johnson)
LG: MJ came on and it's very easy to see why the coaches have confidence in him. I went onto Game Pass to rewatch the O-Line film from last season and MJ was always in the right spot even if he didn't always win. He gave Mixon just enough space to hit those holes. He needs polish in pass protection but as did Boling and he turned out really good by year 3. I really think he can follow that path.
C: When the guards were stabilized next to Trey, he was one of the top-rated Cs in the league. He predictably started struggling when Jerry and Redmond were next to him as anyone would. Do I think he'll be a top center for a whole season? Probably not. He's just an okay center but that's fine for now.
RG is where it gets tricky. XSF seems to be a better scheme fit but can he play RG without missing a beat? I don't have faith in Price at this point but he has been injured and RG is where he should've been playing to begin with. The staff clearly likes him and trusts him to make a jump. I do remember seeing somewhere where he had a 62 in run blocking on PFF during the 2nd half of the season so maybe if he develops more awareness in pass protection, he might put it all together? Adenji is receiving a lot of praise as the biggest OL steal in the draft, but still, a 6th round pick at the end of the day. He'll most likely need a year on the bench. As for Alex Redmond, I believe he'll be cut if a better backup option ends up on waivers.
RT: Bobby Hart must go at all costs. Bring up the PFF grades all you want, he's a weakness no matter how you look at it. He got destroyed by the top teams we played, and only fared considerably better because of Dalton coming back. I'm being cautious about the Fred Johnson hype but no denying he played well and the offense scoring 30 points in both games he played proves that.
The Bengals will clearly be using the waiver wire so I think any concerns about depth will be solved. I don't think Isaiah Prince will stick and they will see that. I don't think Jason Peters will be brought in unless an injury happens and a Joe Thuney trade is unrealistic at this point. I think they explored a Gabe Jackson trade but are probably afraid of a Cordy Glenn 2.0 situation so unless it's for a 5th round pick I don't see them exploring it.
Jonah-XSF-Hopkins-Jordan-Johnson is a best-case scenario if we're looking at the best five currently. I recall MJ playing some RG in college so a transition there might be easier for him than it would be for XSF. Johnson could be a darkhorse for RG too as he's projected best at guard.
If they get extensions for AJ and/or Mixon done and they have 5-6 mil left over, then I believe Peters will be brought in and we could see a lineup of
Peters-MJ-Hopkins-XSF-Williams
Peters might be willing to play RT but I also don't think it'd be the end of the world if Jonah played RT his first year. He has more than enough experience at RT in comparison to Peters and it'll be less pressure for him coming off the injury. Plus, Peters would be a major addition in experience and leadership and that can't be overlooked. Palmer had Willie, Dalton had Whit. Burrow definitely needs that guy on the OL.
