Cordy Glenn can save the Bengals’ offensive line

Cordy Glenn was brought in this offseason via a rare trade made by the Bengals involving some high draft capital.

The Bengals and Bills swapped first-round picks as well as some later picks in the draft in order to get Glenn in Cincinnati. It was a move that was obviously motivated by two things; for starters, the Bengals’ offensive line was simply dreadful last season.

Andy Dalton was often pressured last year, and that couldn’t continue for another season. In addition, Glenn represented a better immediate option than any offensive tackle the Bengals could’ve chosen with 12th-overall pick in this year’s draft.

These two factors had heavy influence in the makings of the trade, but Buffalo’s reasoning for dealing Glenn away had merit as well. Glenn’s injury issues from 2016 carried over to 2017, which opened the door for Dion Dawkins to impress at the left tackle position in his absence.

Dawkins is obviously a much cheaper option in his second season of his rookie contract compared to Glenn, who is carrying one of the highest cap hits on the Bengals roster next season.

Despite having an off year in 2017 due to injury, Glenn should still have a gigantic impact on this offensive line.

Cordy Glenn

Height: 6’6”

Weight: 345 pounds

College: Georgia

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Experience: Seventh-season player

Cap Status

Glenn is set to make $11.25 million in 2018. He is in the third season of his five-year $60 million contract that he originally signed with the Bills. He is also carrying a $11.25 million cap hit this year and would have $10 million in dead cap if the team parted ways with him, according to Spotrac.

It is important to note that if Glenn doesn’t meet expectations this season that the team could get rid of Glenn during 2019 or 2020 without being hit with any dead cap. The team would also create more than $9 million in cap space each of those seasons.

Background

Glenn was a second-round pick by the Bills in the 2012 draft, and he had been a very capable starting NFL tackle since entering the NFL. 2017 was a down year, mostly due to him dealing with a nagging ankle injury.

Prior to being drafted by the Bills though, Glenn played at Georgia. It was there he played guard next Clint Boling (who actually played left tackle) and was the roommate of none other than A.J. Green. Glenn’s previous chemistry with Boling should make the left side of the offensive line formidable once more.

After only missing three games in his first four seasons, Glenn has missed 16 starts over the last two seasons. The Bengals are betting that trend doesn’t continue, and it’s a gamble they can’t afford to be wrong with.

2018 outlook

Glenn obviously is under plenty of pressure to be a very productive player for the Bengals, who usually don’t like to move high value picks willy nilly. They were desperate to improve the position, but they also clearly think highly of Glenn, and they have every reason to.

Prior to last season, Glenn was one of the NFL’s best offensive tackles, as showcased by Pro Football Focus:

When healthy, Glenn is a massive upgrade over the likes of Cedric Ogbuehi and Andre Smith, who manned the blind side last season. Glenn has allowed just four sacks over his last 33 games, while opposing teams have recorded 39 sacks last season alone on Dalton. Glenn’s presence will give Dalton much needed comfort and help the offense run much more efficiently.

Roster odds

The Bengals didn’t move back in the first round just to cut Glenn before the season. When you combine that with the logistics of his contract, there is pretty much no chance that Glenn isn’t on the 53-man roster Week 1. How he performs in 2018 will determine if he sticks around beyond that.

Roster odds: 99.9%