The focus of the offseason in Cincinnati has been on the revamped defense, which used free agency and the draft to plug key holes, including the additions of Dexter Lawrence, Boye Mafe and Cashius Howell along the defensive line. The improvement thrust the Bengals into discussions about another deep postseason run after three seasons of watching in January.
The key on offense will be A) Joe Burrow staying healthy; and B) the offensive line picking up where it left off last season.
While some metrics question Cincinnati's blocking, the unit was solid last season, particularly down the stretch. When Dalton Risner returned to the lineup healthy, and the Bengals got decent quarterback play after shutting down the Jake Browning experiment, the blocking in Cincy improved significantly.
Left tackle Orlando Brown recently told Joe Goodberry and Jake Liscow on the Locked on Bengals podcast that he believes the unit is the best pass protection crew in the league.
"I really think, and I say this confidently, I really feel like we got the best pass protection unit in the NFL," Brown said. "There isn't a lot of groups that could come do what we do on a week-to-week basis and have the success that we've had, especially with the circumstances. As you guys know, pass protection is the hardest thing to do in the sport in my opinion. Probably outside of a few other things like playing quarterback and man-to-man coverage at corner…Our unit is so strong in pass protection."
Playing with three QBs last year didn't help the Bengals blocking, but after years of struggles it was far from the most concerning unit on the club. When Burrow was under center, the group showed it could be a potent pass-protecting unit. Most stats suggesting last year was a struggle fail to account for the blocking improvement once things settled down after the initial quarterback issues. Projecting the unit to continue its improved play in 2026 and beyond is a different game, but last year's effort outside of the "circumstances" Brown noted was a positive sign.
The Bengals start Brown at left tackle, Dylan Fairchild at left guard, Ted Karras at center, Risner at right guard and Amarius Mims at right tackle. Mims improved in his second season and showed traits of one of the better RTs in the league if his development continues. Fairchild, a third-round pick last year, stabilized the LG spot, and while there were some issues with his run blocking, he was solid in pass pro. If the veterans don't regress significantly and the youngsters take another step forward, the blocking can be an asset in Cincy.
If Burrow stays healthy, he'll make the pass protectors look even better in 2026.