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          Cincinnati Bengals NFL offseason preview: Joe Burrow needs an upgrade on the offensive line

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 21, 2022, 11:00 AM
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bengals learned exactly how two good offseasons can transform a franchise.

          With two productive late springs and early summers, Cincinnati went from the worst team in the NFL to a couple of plays away from winning Super Bowl LVI. In quarterback Joe Burrow's second season, his first that was fully healthy, the Bengals won the AFC North, reached the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and won their first conference title in 33 years.

          But there is still plenty of work to be done. The Bengals should be fully aware of the weaknesses on the roster and how to fix them. Here’s a look at Cincinnati’s upcoming offseason.

          Projected salary-cap space: $48.65M

          Top free agents: S Jessie Bates III, TE C.J. Uzomah, OL Quinton Spain, DL Larry Ogunjobi

          Potential cut candidates: Two guys to watch are CB Trae Waynes and C Trey Hopkins. Waynes is an afterthought on defense and represents $10.9 million in cap savings. Hopkins brings around $6 million in cap savings. He was 26th in pass block win rate among centers one year after suffering a torn ACL in the final game of the 2020 season.

          The big question: Can Cincinnati rebuild the offensive line? Surely there’s enough money to make this happen. The Bengals’ inability to adequately protect Burrow was an issue throughout the regular season and playoffs and was a major factor in losing Super Bowl LVI. Cincinnati will have to make immediate decisions at left guard (Spain) and right tackle (Riley Reiff) and must assess whether the rest of the unit is good enough as well. Since the 2019 season, coach Zac Taylor’s first with the team, the Bengals have ranked 31st in the NFL in team pass block win rate. Only the Miami Dolphins have been worse. That’s simply not good enough and requires a major reckoning, especially now that Cincinnati is squarely in its window to compete for a Super Bowl. If executive Duke Tobin can make even modest upgrades, that immediately boosts Cincinnati’s chances of playing for a title in ’22.

          Best-case scenario for the offseason: The Bengals get upgrades at left guard and right tackle and figure out whether 2020 second-round pick Jackson Carman is going to be a long-term solution at left guard. Cincinnati also improves its depth at wide receiver and cornerback, and positions itself for another deep playoff run.

          Worst-case scenario: Cincinnati has another offseason of inadequately addressing the offensive line by making small changes that ultimately don’t work. Burrow's sack issues continue in ’22, he suffers a major injury and all the good momentum from the Super Bowl run immediately goes up in flames.

          Early look at the NFL draft, from ESPN analyst Jordan Reid: Offensive line, offensive line, offensive line. After watching Burrow take 70 sacks in the regular season and playoffs in Year 2, improving and making multiple investments in the offensive line should be at the top of the priority list for Tobin and the franchise's scouting department. Don't rule out Cincinnati double-dipping along the offensive line. The team could also look to add depth in the secondary.

          Top needs: IOL, OT, CB

          Top pick: No. 31