PFF pass block comparison - Bengals OL vs Bucs OL

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(04-16-2021, 12:16 PM)ochocincos Wrote: I was interested in seeing how the current projected Bengals OL starters compared to TB's OL starters last year when it came to pass blocking, as TB won the Super Bowl and were a heavy passing offense.

2020 TB starting OL pass blocking grades:
Tristan Wirfs - 81.0 (very good)
Ali Marpet - 75.5 (good)
Donovan Smith - 69.6 (solid)
Alex Cappa - 68.8 (solid)
Ryan Jensen - 47.7 (bad)

2021 Bengals OL - pass blocking grades from 2020:
Jonah Williams - 75.8 (good)
Trey Hopkins - 64.3 (solid)
Riley Reiff - 74.9 (good)
Xavier Su'a-Filo - 74.8 (good, but only 155 pass block snaps)
Quinton Spain - 44.8 (bad, but came in midway through season)

TB had one really good pass blocker (Wirfs), one good blocker (Marpet), two solid blockers (Smith and Cappa), and one bad one (Jensen).
If the Bengals start with the OL above, they have three good blockers (Williams, Reiff, XSF), one solid blocker (Hopkins), and one bad one (Spain).

If the Bengals don't want to take the gamble on Spain, the biggest upgrade to keep Burrow upright looks to be at OG.
Depth at OT and C also can help mitigate risk in case games are missed by Williams, Reiff, and/or Hopkins, as their backups are not good pass blockers at all (Price, Adeniji, Johnson).

With that said, This offense might actually be able to keep Burrow upright this year, especially if the main starters can remain mostly healthy. 1 draft pick to be a starter and 1-2 more for backup roles would also help.

One additional component that I don't believe many have mentioned is how often the opposition would be up by quite a bit and "release the hounds".  If the Bengals were more balanced on offense and the opposition had to actually respect the potential of a running game, it makes the job of the offensive line that much better.  

Of course, Burrow and the weapons (once they get Chase) will be the strength of the offense and you play to your strengths, but there needs to be a better balance.