Can Bengals Protect Joe Burrow from Browns Defensive Line?

Joe Burrow has the best offensive line he's had in his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Cleveland Browns significantly upgraded their defensive line. Can the Bengals protect Burrow enough to win Sunday?

If everything goes as planned, this is the question every Cleveland Browns opponent will have to answer. The Browns have one of the most imposing defensive fronts in the league and they have the potential to dismantle the offensive gameplan, a critical component in them qualifying for the postseason this season. The Cincinnati Bengals have the best offensive line to protect Joe Burrow since he's entered the league, but it remains to be seen if that will be enough against this new Browns front.

Myles Garrett has been playing at a defensive player of the level the past few seasons. In 2022, despite the shoulder injury and playing with a group of non-factors on the defensive line, he was still the best edge rusher in the league. 16 sacks, routinely taking on double and occasionally triple teams, he was virtually unblockable. With the additions of Za'Darius Smith, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelby Harris and Maurice Hurst, it's going to be more difficult for teams to dedicate extra help on Garrett, which could result in the best season of his career.

The Bengals added Orlando Brown Jr. in the offseason to play left tackle. His sheer ballast gives him an advantage in pass protection, but he's been able to get better as he has gained experience in the league. In some ways, Brown is a better fit in Cincinnati than he was with the Kansas City Chiefs because Brown isn't built to chase defensive linemen around while his quarterback is running around in the backfield extending plays. Burrow is more predictable in where he will be, which should help Brown as a pass protector.

Predictability in the pocket may help the offensive line, but it also means the defense knows exactly where the quarterback is going to be and are able to frame their rush and blitzes to attack that spot, not being as concerned about contain. Burrow is a good athlete, but he's someone who takes a high number of sacks.

Brown may be in a good situation but he's never fared well against Garrett, which puts him in good company as few have had success against the All-Pro. Garrett has generated a ton of pressure against Brown in addition to the fact he's terrorized Burrow. Along with potentially being limited with how much extra help they can provide, that could result in a big day for Garrett.

Jonah Williams, another player Garrett has terrorized, is moving to right tackle, replacing La'El Collins, who is still recovering from a serious knee injury. It looks good on paper, but it will be interesting to see how effective Williams is in his first regular season game as a right tackle. Even if the switching of sides isn't a huge issue, Williams is trying to bounce back after a poor 2022 season.

The Bengals combination of center and right guard have been effective pass protectors, which is critical for that offense. Since signing with the Bengals as free agents, Ted Karras and Alex Cappa have been reliable pass protectors on the interior. That leaves Cordell Volson at left guard. After playing through the season as a rookie last year, the Bengals are hoping for major growth in his second season.

One of the reasons the Browns have enjoyed success against the Bengals since Burrow has been there is the Bengals tend to become one-dimensional. When they haven't had a balanced attack, running the ball with Joe Mixon, the Browns defense has had enough talent to generate pressure on Burrow, get stops and cause turnovers.

This year, the Browns have a much improved run defense anchored by Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris on the interior. Their ability to move the line of scrimmage while enabling the linebackers to fly around may limit that option.

If that happens and the Browns are able to focus entirely on the passing game, they can run with sub packages that are geared entirely towards generating pressure. Za'Darius Smith is going to line up on the inside. Ogbonnia Okoronwko will line up opposite of Garrett and the Browns can utilize options like Jordan Elliott or Maurice Hurst to attack up the middle. Even when Tomlinson and Harris are in the game, their ability to displace offensive linemen could collapse the pocket and cause problems for Burrow.

One of the questions that remains unanswered is just how much defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz plans to move his guys around; especially Garrett. It stands to reason that if the Browns believe an interior player is a weakness, they would line up Za'Darius Smith over them.

Even if the Browns aren't inclined to change up where their defensive linemen lineup, they will move them post snap. Twists and stunts will be utilized to keep the pass protection on their toes. Garrett could be lined up at right end, but end up almost any other gap depending on what's called. All five offensive linemen have to prepare for the terrifying possibility they have to block Garrett in a given situation.

The Bengals have likely gone back to study some of Schwartz's tendencies in his history with the Tennessee Titans as a consultant and then the Philadelphia Eagles as a defensive coordinator, but they won't really know what's coming until the game, which should give the Browns an advantage.

Even as Schwartz is going to rely on the front four for most of the pressure and could occasionally line up in a 50 front, he will utilize some blitzes. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah stands out as a weapon on that end, but Schwartz likes to send pressure from the secondary. Safety Grant Delpit and corners Greg Newsome II and Cameron Mitchell could be utilized on the blitz try to catch Burrow off guard.

The Bengals will likely feel compelled to keep backs or tight ends in to help at various points, which should enable the Browns to at least situationally dedicate more attention to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins as they go down the field.

Quarterbacks like Burrow are why the Browns assembled this defensive line and Schwartz has been waiting for the opportunity to unleash this group. They want to make a statement in this first game.

History suggests the Bengals won't be able to keep Burrow clean. Orlando Brown Jr. is certainly an upgrade but even when the Browns had a poor defensive line, they have been able to get to Burrow. The challenge for the Bengals is to keep the pass rush from getting out of hand and taking over the game, a fun proposition for the Browns.