Anthony Munoz gives perspective on Bengals’ offensive line

It was no secret that the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line was not good enough last season. It was impossible not to hear about how they made a gigantic mistake taking wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase over offensive tackle Penei Sewell in the draft. It was also illustrated by quarterback Joe Burrow taking numerous hits the entire season.

So it came as no surprise when Cincinnati went out and revamped their offensive line through free agency. We are finally see the beginning points of that unit come together as everyone is healthy enough to practice.

They did well enough that Bengals legendary offensive tackle Anthony Munoz commented on them following Wednesday’s practice.

“You have No. 9. You have No. 1. You have No. 28. They’re studs. But when it’s all said and done, it’s the five up front. I told them, I just want to let you know we have a lot of guys that played for this team that live in Cincinnati and you have a lot of big fans here. And we each want the best for you … Remain coachable. I talked about Frank being a great technician. Listen to what he says… It’s all about attitude and getting after it,” Munoz told Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson.

The Bengals offense did plenty of great things last season. However, there were games where it seemed like the tires were spinning in place, which made it a good thing that the defense was able to step up in most of those games. There was a big reliance on big plays and manufacturing ways to get the ball out of Burrow’s hands quickly.

The running game also seemed like it was being held back from how good it could be. That is saying something to because it was probably running back Joe Mixon’s best season yet. Imagine how good it could have been if he could have actually made to or beyond the line of scrimmage without having to make a defender miss in the backfield.

It is honestly incredible what these offensive players were able to do at times with how often the offensive line would let them down. If this offensive line can even be average, it is scary to think how much more potent this team could be on a consistent basis and not just stall out. The young offensive pieces are there. They just need protection and a path paved for them to return to being a contender again in 2022.