Film Breakdown: Analyzing the Bengals' Best Offensive Line Fits in Free Agency

Cincinnati has to add proven offensive linemen in free agency.

Mike Santagata | Mar 11, 2022

The Bengals know they need to address their offensive line in free agency.

Whether it’s two or three players, they will make some key additions next week. There are a ton of talented free agents who all have strengths and weaknesses in key areas. I couldn't get to all of them, but I watched 3+ games of 19 different offensive linemen that the Bengals could sign.

I'll list the pros and cons and whether or not they fit both the wide zone and the spread portions of the Bengals offense.

Let’s quickly go over what makes a player a fit in the Bengals' offense. For the run game, the player should be athletic, able to block at the second level, and good on combination blocks. In the pass game they will be looking for guys who anchor, use their hands well, have length, and guys who process quickly.

When it comes to the tiers think of each one as a different level of player. For example: Tier 1 is elite, Tier 2 is good, Tier 3 is solid, and Tier 4 is average.

This is just a reflection of where I think they currently stand as offensive linemen. Some of them have the potential to become much better over time.

Terron Armstead

Pros:

Extremely athletic (fastest ever 40-yard dash for an OL)
Bully in the run game
Rock in pass protection
One of the 3 best left tackles in the entire league
Master of hand usage
Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee

Cons:

Extremely expensive
Injury history
Once in a while loses to power
30 years old

Scheme Fit: Perfection 10/10 — A rock in pass protection while being possibly the best left tackle in the league on wide zone. He's a perfect fit in the Bengals' offense.

Free Agent Tier: 1

For more on Terron Armstead, watch our complete breakdown here.

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Ryan Jensen

Pros:

Tone Setter and glass-eater
Strong and thickly built for a center
Looks to find work when uncovered in pass protection
One of the best centers in the league at blocking one on one
Good get off for back blocks
Core strength to turn and torque guys
Can pull and kick or wrap as the lead blocker
Championship pedigree

Cons:

Can be too aggressive and not give help to his guards when he is expected to
Miscommunication was an issue on stunts this past year
Expensive
30 years old

Scheme Fit: 7/10 — This isn't a bad fit for the Bengals. He can run on wide zone and pass protect well, but his best block to me is the back block on power and counter. Maybe the Bengals sign him and then change some of their running game? Either way it’s an upgrade and he would add more leadership to the locker room as well.

Free Agent Tier: 1

For more on Ryan Jensen, check out our complete breakdown here.

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Brandon Scherff

Pros:

Eye discipline and processing on stunts
Advanced hand usage
Grip Strength
Agile, flexible, and athletic
Experience in wide zone system
Hand placement on punches

Cons:

Very expensive
Injury history
Can be beaten by power
Does not sustain blocks all that well against very good competition

Scheme Fit: 10/10 — Similar to Armstead, this is a slam dunk fit for the Bengals. He does everything that they are looking for at a high level.

Free Agent Tier: 1

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Laken Tomlinson

Pros:

Explosive out of his stance
Great at the second level
Knack for knowing exactly when he needs to come off combination blocks
Plays with great pad level
Good hand placement
Flexibility to turn and seal
Core strength to torque defenders and uproot them
Thick and a very strong lower body

Cons:

Not a ton of true pass set experience in San Francisco
Played next to the best left tackle in football
Gives up his chest a little bit too often
Occasionally stops his feet on contact in pass protection
30 years old

Scheme Fit: 8/10 — Playing in a similar system for the run game is nice and he is at his best working combination blocks and blocking at the second level on wide zone. However, he does not have the same ability or experience in the passing game, so there would be some projection if he came to Cincinnati.

Free Agent Tier: 2

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Austin Corbett

Pros:

Powerful combination blocks
Blocking and moving linebackers at the second level
Surprising ability to torque and move defenders with his core strength
Quick processing on stunts
Very athletic
Championship pedigree
Resetting his hands to get better leverage
26 years old

Cons:

Struggles against very powerful defensive tackles
Steps under himself when reach blocking
Pad level can get high
Occassionally prefers to push defenders rather than sustaining the block

Scheme Fit: 7.5/10 — Similar to Tomlinson, Corbett is everything you want for the wide zone scheme. He blocks well at the second level, works combinations well, can move defenders with his core strength, and is athletic. The only issue he has with that part of the offense is that he almost always steps under himself with the first step. For the pass game it’s more of a projection and he struggles to anchor against strong players.

Free Agent Tier: 2.5

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Andrew Norwell

Pros:

Stout, strong, and hard to move
Working combination blocks
From Cincinnati
Still very solid in pass protection
Can work within a phone booth as a guard
Great size

Cons:

Bad athlete
Has regressed in Jacksonville
Doesn’t recover well when he falls for shimmies or fakes
30 years old

Scheme Fit: 5/10 — He simply lacks the athleticism for a wide zone run game, but he is a great fit for the spread passing game portion of the offense. This could be raised up to a 6 or even 7 if the Bengals are going to weigh the pass game portion of the offense much more heavily.

Free Agent Tier: 2.5

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Trent Brown

Pros:

Length (36 inch arms!!!)
Strength to displace defenders
Grip strength to latch
Surprisingly explosive kickslide
Very very large human being
Championship pedigree

Cons:

Bad athleticism
Injury history
Weight concerns
Motivation

Scheme Fit: 5/10 — He’s not much of an athlete, but when New England ran wide zone it seemed like he was not abysmal. He fits the spread portion of the offense much better because he is a plus pass protector.

Free Agent Tier: 2.5

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Morgan Moses

Pros:

An iron man at RT who never misses a game
Wide zone experience
Length
Good hand usage and technique
Sustains blocks fairly well at the second level
Solid athleticism
Explosive out of his stance
Good work on combination blocks

Cons:

Has a bad tell for run vs pass in his stance
31 years old
Prone to oversetting against stutter moves
Can get caught off guard by speed to power moves

Scheme Fit: 8/10 — The explosiveness, athleticism, combination blocks, work at the second level, and experience in wide zone make him a great fit for the run game. He is not a perfect fit for what Frank Pollack wants in pass protection with his issues, but is still a good fit overall.

Free Agent Tier: 3

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Riley Reiff

Pros:

Experience in a wide zone system
Smart player that understands his weaknesses
Versatility to play either side
Solid understanding of leverage
Patient and accurate hand usage
Great body positioning in the run game

Cons:

Lost this past season to an ankle injury
33 years old
Not much length
Two hand puncher
Losing more athleticism every year

Scheme Fit: 7.5/10 — This would be an 8/10 with his experience and time with wide zone, but he may lose more athleticism with his age in conjunction with that ankle injury. While he lacks the ideal length to pass protect, he has made it this far in his career because he knows how to work around it.

Free Agent Tier: 3

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Connor Williams

Pros:

24 years old
Pop in his punch
Blocking at the second level
Agility to mirror defenders
Nice ability to quickly use flipper on combination blocks
Resets hands to gain leverage

Cons:

Very wide hand placement
Holding penalties
Gives up his chest
Loses quickly and emphatically
Has not shown much improvement since being named the starter at left guard

Scheme Fit: 8/10 - He does a great job on wide zone and for the most part fits what they are looking for in pass protection. The penalties, wide hands, and inability to anchor is keeping him from being any higher than an 8/10 however.

Free Agent Tier: 3

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Quinton Spain

Pros:

Experience in a wide zone system
Was very good against stunts with Jonah Williams on the left side
Nasty snatch trap to put defenders on their face
Should not be very expensive
Shown to be a good fit within the locker room this past year
Versatility to play multiple positions
Power in the run game
Good job finding work and punishing defenders when uncovered

Cons:

30 years old
Gave up the pressure to Aaron Donald to end the Super Bowl
Not a great athlete at this point in his career
Does not mirror and move with defenders all that well

Scheme Fit: 5/10 — Surprisingly Spain isn’t that great of a fit for the system despite playing in it last season. He may be better suited for a power run game with his play strength and lack of athleticism now. He still is good on stunts and overall does a lot of what they are looking for in the passing game.

Free Agent Tier: 3

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Ben Jones

Pros:

Ability to quickly get out of his stance to reach and seal nose tackles
Experience in a wide zone system
Combination block experience and the ability to overtake so someone can climb
Snap and set ability in pass protection
Strong core to torque defenders
Picks up stunts well
Typically puts himself in good position to help his guards
Hip flexibility to turn and seal

Cons:

Starting to look his age
Clearly losing some of his athleticism
Had his lunch money taken by DJ Reader in the playoffs
Trouble reaching anyone outside of a 1T
32 Years Old

Scheme Fit: 6/10 — I thought this scheme fit was going to be much better going in, but Jones looks like he’s losing more and more of his athleticism. His inability to reach a 2i is frustrating for a wide zone team. He would need to be babied a bit with guard help for that. I still think he’s a solid pass protector for a center though, which is why this is above a 5.

Free Agent Tier: 3

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Bradley Bozeman

Pros:

Quick out of his stance on back blocks
Powerful punch in pass protection that stops defenders
Good grip strength to latch onto pass rushers
Thickly built center
Versatility to play all 3 positions
Can snap and pull

Cons:

Not much of an athlete
Short Arms
Was not very good in pass protection at guard
Not good on reach blocks because of his limited athleticism
Clicks his heels when sliding
Baltimore was terrible against blitzes this season

Scheme Fit: 3/10 — The Bengals have been linked to Bozeman but the fit doesn't make much sense to me. His limited athleticism really shows on the few times that Baltimore would run zone plays. He typically struggled to reach anyone set at a 2i or further away. He is a great power scheme center, but even when it comes to the pass protection element, there are concerns. He was the center for a team that could not figure out 0 blitzes. Yes, he’s a versatile player, but he struggled mightily in pass protection at guard when he played there.

Free Agent Tier: 3

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Ted Karras

Pros:

Championship Pedigree
Passes off stunts very well
Good timing on his combination blocks
Can sustain and run at the second level
Good timing with his punch in pass protection
Pretty good hand placement
Does a good job of resetting his hands

Cons:

Protected a lot by the center slide in the Patriots system
Can be knocked back against power
Not much play strength to drive guys around the hoop
Gives up his chest too often
Not a very good athlete

Scheme Fit: 5/10 — Karras is better than I thought he would be, but he’s a middling athlete that struggles to anchor despite his ability to reset his hands and get lower than the defender. He doesn’t have that much power to pass protect. Not a great athlete, but should do OK on wide zone with his ability on combination blocks.

Free Agent Tier: 3.5

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James Daniels

Pros:

24 years old
Very athletic
Long arms for an interior player
Resets his hands very well to put them in better position
Very quick processing and eye discipline on stunts
Works pretty well on combination blocks
Can get to the second level effectively

Cons:

Plays guard at under 300 pounds and it definitely shows
Feet are still a mess at times
Steps under himself on wide zone
Moves his weight off of the midline in pass protection constantly
Has not improved since joining the Bears

Scheme Fit: 7.5/10 — The scheme fit here is better than the current player. He’s extremely athletic, has length, can work at the second level, is OK with his hands, processes quickly, and puts himself in good position on combination blocks. The reason it’s not higher is because of everything else that he currently does. There is a ton of potential here if you believe that Chicago just failed him though.

Free Agent Tier: 3.5

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Alex Cappa

Pros:

Championship pedigree
Strength in his punch to stop defenders in their tracks
Ability to anchor against strong defensive tackles
Short area quickness to mirror defenders
Power to displace defenders

Cons:

Not a great athlete to run on wide zone
Inconsistent against stunts
Has a habit of stopping his feet on contact
Shorter arms and wingspan

Scheme Fit: 6/10 - Cappa would do OK in a wide zone system although I think he does his best work when he is trying to move defenders vertically. He lacks the length that Pollack desires in the pass game. He does have some of the other traits that he is looking for like his punch and ability to anchor.

Free Agent Tier: 3.5

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Evan Brown

Pros:

25 years old
Keeps a good base when sliding in pass protection
Strength to anchor
Fairly quick out of his stance
Strong punch to stop defenders
Rarely pushed back at the point of contact

Cons:

Feet get wide on contact from time to time taking away his power
Tad late on recognizing stunts and late movement
Shorter arms
Career journeyman
Feels like the game moves a little bit too quick for him at times

Scheme Fit: 5.5/10 — He lacks ideal length and is late to recognize stunts, but he is a very strong player. His punch will stop defenders in their tracks and can drop his anchor quickly against defenders who try to use power against him. He is also fairly quick out of his stance. Just has some roughness around the edges that may need worked out.

Free Agent Tier: 4

Evan Brown is a strong center who can anchor in and stop anyone. He is an interesting player who lacks length and still seems to have some issues with NFL speed. However, he has room to grow and did an adequate job filling in for Ragnow in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/zC7NZ3UqFA
— mike (@bengals_sans) March 11, 2022

Mark Glowinski

Pros:

Solid grip strength
Moves pretty well in the short area
Keeps feet low to the ground in pass protection
Quick out of his stance
Does a nice job when working combination blocks
Seals defenders well in the run game

Cons:

Pad level can get high
Was the clear worst starting OL for the Colts
Inconsistent when taking on various power moves
Can miss his hand placement against quick targets
Not much potential for growth

Scheme Fit: 7/10 — The main issues here are with his pad level and what that does to him against power. Coming from the multiple run game of Indy I wasn’t sure if he would fit that well with the run game, but he looks like he would play well in a wide zone system.

Free Agent Tier: 4

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Brian Allen

Pros:

Experience in a wide zone system
Championship pedigree
Can torque defenders
Short area quickness to mirror defenders
Finds work
Combo blocks to the second level
Quick to get his hands on defenders after snapping the ball

Cons:

Snaps the ball weird under center
Botched a shotgun snap in a huge moment
Under 300 pounds
Stubby
Not a strong player

Scheme Fit: 7/10 — He’s not exactly what the Bengals are looking for when it comes to the spread shotgun portion of the offense, but he’s a pretty good fit in the wide zone system. The lack of length and strength does hurt him however.

Free Agent Tier: 4