Billy Price upped his playing weight before training camp

Football players entering training camp in “the best shape of their lives” sometimes takes multiple forms. While D.J. Reader worked his way down to a playing weight well under 330 pounds, Billy Price did the opposite this offseason.

Price has gained about 20 pounds and now weighs about 330 pounds, according to Bengals radio analyst Dave Lapham.

“Billy Price is 330 pounds,” Lapham said. “Billy Price says coach [Jim] Turner likes big guys, I’m gonna be a big guy. So Billy Price has responded like you hope as a teammate and a coach he would.”

It’s safe to say that Price has never played close to this weight before. He left Ohio State at around 312 pounds and has maintained that weight since he was drafted in 2018.

The offensive linemen that have been added to the roster since Turner joined the coaching staff have varied in size. Jonah Williams and Hakeem Adeniji are each listed as under 310 pounds, Michael Jordan and Xavier Su’a-Filo are in the 315 range, and Fred Johnson is just under 330 pounds. All of those players are athletic enough to succeed in a zone blocking scheme, which Turner likes to run, but there isn’t really a direct theme in regards to size here.

Turner and the offense did make a drastic switch to a power-centric scheme in the middle of last season, so Price’s added weight could be beneficial for a full-time shift in scheme.

Physically, it would be impressive for Price to maintain his level of athleticism with all that extra weight, be it muscle or not. The third-year player doesn’t exactly have the widest frame for an offensive lineman (32” arm length, 75.25” wingspan), so it’s theoretically more difficult for him to add onto that frame compared to others, not to mention sustaining that weight.

If the added weight helps Price become a stronger pass protector and run blocker, surely Turner and the rest of the team won’t mind.