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The Bengals offensive line is an fluid as any unit on their team. With injuries, retirement and more injuries hampering their chemistry, one player, fourth-round pick Michael Jordan, has been a bright spot amidst all the uncertainty.
Per Bengals.com, you can even expect the rookie to start at some point this season.
“Jordan is going to be the starter at some point this season at left guard. After his first NFL start against Washington they’re trying to decide if he’ll be ready for Sept. 8 and we’ll get a pretty good idea Sunday when they line up for practice for this Thursday.
“Word is they think Jordan had an overall good one against Washington but like all young players, he needs to be consistent. He had a false start, but he also impressed them with his power and how hard he played all 42 of his snaps. Once he got in 18 with the first group, he came back with the third and helped Finley get a touchdown.”
The former Ohio State lineman has played over 35 snaps in each of the Bengals preseason games, so the team’s coaching staff has been able to get a reasonably solid look at his performance.
Against Washington, the rookie was excellent in pass block, which ate up the majority of his snaps. He was mainly blocking fellow fourth-round pick Ryan Finley who also put together a terrific performance with the help of Jordan.
Jordan, according to Pro Football Focus (premium content), was the Bengals’ fourth-best pass blocking lineman, considering only those that saw over 10 snaps in that position. He also ranked second of the ten players that saw double-digit snaps blocking the run.
A bright, up-and-coming tackle, Jordan was taken with the 136th pick in the draft. Although Cincinnati already had selected an offensive lineman at No. 11, the team knew their struggles on the line were present.
Let’s hope Jordan can continue his excellent play into the season as he’s apparently destined to start for this already-depleted line.