Cincinnati Bengals Free Agency Preview: Should Veteran, 5-Time Pro Bowler Brandon Scherff Be An Option at Guard?

Jay Morrison | Feb 10, 2025

Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars guard Brandon Scherff (68) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

In this story:

Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI – If the Cincinnati Bengals weren’t already aware they need to bolster the interior of their offensive line, the Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 decimation of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX hammered home the point.

Last week we looked at the top six interior options for the Bengals in free agency, but Pro Football Focus lists nine guards in its list of Top 75 players slated to hit the open market next month.

Coming in at No. 7 among guards and No. 59 overall is Brandon Scherff.

The No. 5 pick in 2015 – and the only guard in the last 50 drafts to go in the top five – Scherff has made 140 starts during his 10-year career.

After seven seasons in Washington, he signed a three-year, $49.5 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022 and started all 51 games.

He’s a five-time Pro Bowl selection and earned a first team All-Pro nod in 2020, but Scherff is 33 and will turn 34 in December.

Still, PFF ranked him as the No. 10 pass-blocking guard in the league in 2024 after a No. 4 ranking in 2023, making him an attractive option for a Cincinnati team looking for help to protect quarterback Joe Burrow.

Previous Guard Profiles

Scherff’s Pro Bowl days likely are behind him, but so, too, is his high-earning power.

Spotrac.com lists Scherff with a manageable market value and a projected contract of one year for $6.7 million.

His durability and experience should make him an attractive target as a one-year place holder for whatever guard(s) the Bengals target in the draft, similar to the plan they took into 2024 by signing Trent Brown as a runway to the Amarius Mims era.

Scherff could fall into the ring-chasing category as well, which might lead to him signing with a team such as Cincinnati for a little less for a shot to win a title before he retires.

In 10 season, Scherff has played in just four postseason games while experiencing only one victory.

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

-----

Join the 50,000+ Bengals fans that subscribe to us on YouTube.

Follow us on Twitter: @BengalsTalkSI

Like Our Facebook Page

Follow on TikTok

Published Feb 10, 2025

JAY MORRISON

Jay Morrison covers the Cincinnati Bengals for Bengals On SI. He has been writing about the NFL for nearly three decades. Combining a passion for stats and storytelling, Jay takes readers beyond the field for a unique look at the game and the people who play it. Prior to joining Bengals on SI, Jay covered the Cincinnati Bengals beat for The Athletic, the Dayton Daily News and Pro Football Network.