It’s no secret that one of the major Achilles Heels for the Cincinnati Bengals in recent years has been the play of their offensive line. Between losing Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler a few years ago and the failed developments of a number of high picks and other project players, the team has been searching for answers up front.
The team used their first-round pick on Jonah Williams a year ago, and while he looks promising, his rookie year was wiped out with a labrum injury. Throw in the ambiguity surrounding Cordy Glenn and questions remain, despite who will be under center in 2020.
However, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor says that the offensive line is better than some think. Whether it’s in Williams’ return, the continuing maturity of Michael Jordan, Trey Hopkins and others, and/or a late-season spark in 2019, he may be right.
This week on “Chalk Talk”, I take a look at that claim by evaluating the entire season of offensive line play and condensing it into a digestible video. We use film from a number of games, including those against the Cardinals, Dolphins, Jaguars, Browns and more.
Here are some of the areas in which we focus this week:
- Trey Hopkins looked great in 2019 and Jonah Williams will be coming back for 2020, but what about the rest of the line?
- What are they going to do at guard?
- Is Billy Price a bust?
- Can Bobby Hart get it done at right tackle?
These Chalk Talk episodes have been available throughout the season and will continue into the offseason. Be sure to tune in, as we continue to break down the X’s and O’s.
All of the film review content will be on SB Nation’s Cincy Jungle podcast channel, along with the other episodes of The Orange and Black Insider. New shows like the “Orange is the New Black” podcast from Ace Boogie and Zim WhoDey and “Sorry If I Spit When I Speak” from Dadio Makdook and Dr. Hodgie Smodgie have also been added to the channel’s audio slate.
The video of my film reviews can be found on the OBI YouTube page and/or Cincy Jungle’s Facebook page. Thanks for watching!