Bengals tinker with offensive line; Andrew Whitworth back at guard

OTAs are a good time to tinker with different things NFL teams might not normally do in even a training camp setting. The Cincinnati Bengals may look to do so with their offensive line.

Cincinnati's offense a real jolt when left tackle Andrew Whitworth was moved to left guard to replace the injured Clint Boling. With Anthony Collins then coming off the bench to play LT, the Bengals offensive line dominated on the ground and in pass-protection over the final month of the season.

Once Collins left in free agency to sign with the Buccaneers, Marvin Lewis stated that Whitworth was moving back to LT.

On the first day of OTA practices, the Bengals had Whitworth back at LG and the newly-signed Marshall Newhouse at LT as Mike Pollak sat out with an injury:

With Pollack out, Robinson at c whit at lg and Newhouse at LT on first snap

— Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) May 27, 2014

This says more about Newhouse than anything that they are giving him first-team snaps at tackle.

An unrestricted free agent who played 47 games with 31 starts for Green Bay over the last four seasons, Newhouse (6-4, 319) is a fifth-year NFL player for 2014. He saw action in 14 games with two starts for Green Bay last season. Over 2011-12, he played in every game, with 29 starts.

Newhouse was Bengals QB Andy Dalton’s left tackle for Dalton’s first three seasons (2007-09) at Texas Christian. The team went to a bowl game in each of those seasons, and in 2009, when Newhouse was a senior and Dalton a junior, the Horned Frogs posted TCU’s first undefeated regular season in 71 years.

When the Bengals signed Newhouse, most thought he would be a backup guard, so it says something that the Bengals were willing to play Whitworth at guard instead while leaving Newhouse to protect Dalton's blindside.

Regardless, Newhouse probably isn't going to play meaningful snaps this season unless someone goes down with an injury.