Bengals State of the Offensive Line: Setting Expectations for 2023 Regular Season

Week 1 is finally here! What can you expect from the 2023 version of the Bengals offensive line?

It's finally here, folks. It's time to get the starting offense on the field and get this regular season underway! 

I am excited to get a real look at the latest edition of the Bengals offensive line featuring Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle and Jonah Williams stepping in as the fourth different player to start at right tackle in as many seasons. However, for me, the most exciting part of this group is the continuity in-between the tackles. The Bengals are returning all three starters on the interior of the offensive line and two of those players (Cordell Volson and Ted Karras) were able to get a full season and a playoff run alongside each other. 

Working from left to right, let's talk about what I expect to see out of Brown this season. The Bengals upgraded the left tackle position, but maybe not in the way you think. Brown is three inches taller and 33 pounds heavier than Williams. 

With the switch from a wide zone focused offense to a gap style run scheme, the added size and play strength should show up more dramatically. A lot can be said about the effect a bigger tackle can have in a physical AFC North division, especially looking ahead to their Week 1 matchup in Cleveland. 

Myles Garrett is a high-end edge defender and was able to manipulate Williams with his ability to use speed rushes to set up his power moves. Adding more mass to the left side will be beneficial when it comes to forcing "blind side" edge rushers around the edge while shutting down inside moves (which is the shorter/quicker path to the quarterback). Overall, Brown brings more size and strength to the left side of a line that needed to improve against power.

Cordell Volson was a top level rookie from the 2022 class, starting every game for the Bengals last season. Volson is still next to a quality center in Ted Karras and gets the opportunity to learn from and work with a four-time Pro Bowler in Brown that has experience playing with All-Pro guards throughout his career. Volson should be primed to take a big step this season between adding mass and only continuing to gain experience in this Bengals system.

Karras is my favorite addition to this Bengals offensive line room over the past few seasons. Though he's the smallest member of this group, he may have one of the biggest personalities. He has shown to be a strong leader by earning his teammates' votes for Captaincy in each of the past two seasons. He's a gritty player that fits the center role wonderfully. 

Karras had the highest motor out of the group last year from what I saw and does a great job of executing his responsibility play after play. Overall, between the experience he brings along with his consistent level of play, he should be able to elevate this group week after week. I'm excited to watch him lead this group through another long season.

Alex Cappa was a fan favorite from everything I saw last year. He was the second-best player on this unit, based on my weekly grades last season. His play strength and ability to win leverage consistently in the run game can't be ignored. I'd like to see him improve in space. 

He didn't seem to be successful in the screen game and didn't work to the second level much as a run blocker. This season, I don't expect him to change much as a player, but I am interested to watch how he works next to Williams. They are different players, stylistically, but I think they're complimentary to each other. I expect Cappa to improve in protection this season and I am, personally, excited to watch through another season of Cappa/Karras combo blocks.

Williams was one of the most polarizing players this offseason. Officially slated as the right tackle coming into Week 1, he has a lot to prove in a new position. I think Williams' skill set works better on the right side opposed to the left. He has talked about the process of learning a new position while rehabbing after the knee surgery and mentioned that he was focusing on avoiding bad habits he may have had as a left tackle. 

He's "undersized" as a tackle according to the typical NFL mold. He'll have to lean on his athleticism on the outside and in protection. I expect him to take the contract year "step" that many players normally do in similar situations. This could be one of the best seasons of his career up to this point.

I can't wait to see what this group is able to do this season. After a full camp together in the new scheme, this group should be ready to go when the first snap of the season comes around. There was talk of this group needing to get reps together in preseason games, but with a full camp together and the high levels of experience in the room, I believe the Bengals offensive line is going to surprise people this season.

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