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          Bengals shuffle O-line, name Hopkins starting C

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterAug 26, 2019, 05:45 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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          The Cincinnati Bengals' offensive line will look differently than expected for the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

          Rookie Michael Jordan will be the team's starting left guard and Trey Hopkins will start at center, Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said on Sunday. The combination means Billy Price, the team's first-round pick in 2018 and former primary center, will be a back-up when the season begins on Sept. 8.

          The former Ohio State standout said he understood the decision.

          "As a competitor, it's the day that you thought would never happen, but it happened," Price said. "There are things that I need to improve on. We've got on the same page and understand exactly where they were coming from and understanding why. This is a business."

          Price missed the first 10 days of training camp with an undisclosed injury. He started 10 games as a rookie but was out for six in the middle of the year with a foot injury.