Joe Burrow is entering year five in the NFL after being selected 1st overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. Of his first four years in the league, he’s completed two full, healthy seasons. Terrifying comparisons are starting to be made about Burrow to fellow former number one overall pick Andrew Luck of the Colts. Luck was sacked 185 times over his 6 year, 96 game career (playoffs included). Burrow is already at a staggering 177 sacks in less than four full seasons. The Colts failed Andrew Luck, the face of the franchise. Have the Bengals done enough for Joe Burrow on the field or are they headed toward the same fate as the Colts?

The Bengals moves to address the offensive line since drafting Joe Burrow:

2020

• Signed free agent Guard Xavier Su’a-Filo to a three-year contract
• Drafted Tackle Hakeem Adeniji in the 6th round

The Bengals did the bare minimum here to address a failing offensive line which allowed 48 sacks the year before. They failed to upgrade the offensive line for their first overall pick coming in by only adding a couple backup caliber players through an inexpensive manner. Although they did have former first rounder Jonah Williams set to make his NFL debut in 2020 after missing all of his rookie season due to injury. Likely factoring into the decision not to make another addition that offseason.

2021

• Signed Riley Reiff to a one-year contract
• Drafted Jackson Carman in the 2nd round
• Drafted D’Ante Smith in the 4th round
• Drafted Trey Hill in the 6th round

Joe Burrow’s rookie season was perhaps, unsurprisingly cut short after his patchwork offensive line failed to protect him all season. When the 2021 offseason rolled around the Bengals were mostly quiet in regard to adding free agent linemen. But it was clear the Bengals needed an upgrade at right tackle, desperately. Cincinnati signed a veteran “bridge” tackle in Riley Reiff from Minnesota. Heading into the draft the entire NFL world was screaming at the Bengals front office to call Oregon’s Penei Sewell at 5th overall, the best tackle prospect in years. Instead, the Bengals took Burrow’s on-field best friend and former LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase, passing on their best option to protect Burrow. Still, that’s not where there biggest blunder came in that draft.

The Bengals answered the cry of concerned fans in the 2nd round by selecting Clemson tackle Jackson Carman. Oh boy. Everyone knew then the Bengals had made a significant reach. The Bengals had completely fumbled the opportunity to truly upgrade the offensive line with a premium pick. Carman has only started in 6 out of 22 games in his career and was a healthy scratch for much of the 2023 season, likely heading to unemployment soon. The Bengals followed up this pick with two more additions to the line in Smith and Hill. Neither of which have made any sort of impact thus far as they continue to ride the bench.

At least this year they made a couple more additions to the line compared to 2020, but the effort and decision-making success still isn’t there.

2022:

• Signed Alex Cappa to a four-year deal
• Signed Ted Karras to a three-year deal
• Signed La’el Collins to a three-year deal
• Signed Max Scharping to a one-year deal
• Drafted Cordell Volson in the 4th round

After losing Super Bowl 56 and seeing Joe Burrow sacked a post-season record 19 times the Bengals were done messing around. As soon as free agency opened Cincinnati signed veterans and Super Bowl champions Alex Cappa and Ted Karras to big multi-year deals securing the interior of their offensive line. They weren’t done there. Cincinnati signed tackle La’el Collins to lock down the right tackle position. The Bengals went into the 2022 draft with four out of five spots on the line now solidified. They came out of it with 4th round guard and n current 2 year starter Cordell Volson. Finally, the effort and production from the front office was there for Joe Burrow. I have to give them credit where credit is due even if La’el Collins didn’t end up working out.

2023:

• Signed Orlando Brown Jr. to a four-year deal
• Signed Cody Ford to a one-year deal
• Re-signed Max Scharping to a one-year deal

The Bengals shocked the NFL world, and frankly, even their own fans when news broke of four-time pro bowl left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. signing in Cincinnati. The Bengals already had a starting left tackle in place for the 2023 season, their 2019 first round pick Jonah Williams. But the Bengals decided to be aggressive and make an upgrade at the most important position on the offensive line. This is doing justice for Joe Burrow. Overshadowed by the Brown acquisition was the pair of moves to solidify the depth of the offensive line by signing former second rounder Cody Ford, Brown’s teammate at Oklahoma, and re-signing Max Scharping who had started to playoff games for the team in 2022. By year three of Joe Burrow the Bengals had addressed every position on the offensive line with a multi-year contract, aside from left guard.

2024:

• Signed Trent Brown to a one-year deal
• Re-signed Cody Ford to a one-year deal
• Drafted Amarius Mims in the first round
• Drafted Matt Lee in the 7th round

The Bengals are building a wall in Cincinnati and in front of Joe Burrow by adding a pair of 6’8 tackles in Trent Brown and rookie Amarius Mims, spending the 18th overall pick on the Georgia offensive tackle. Fitting seeing as Joe Burrow and essentially the team’s season ended early when Burrow was injured again. The Bengals now have a trio of 6’8 tackles to bookend their 6’6 guards Cordell Volson and Alex Cappa. Personally, I can’t wait to see their goal line package. The Bengals also did their work on the depth of the line by retaining Ford and spending another pick on center Matt Lee out of Miami.

In total the Bengals have committed seven draft picks and eleven free agent deals to offensive linemen. Not all have worked out, but you can’t deny the effort to put a stable line in front of their franchise quarterback.

Arming Joe Burrow

There are other ways to help out your quarterback including surrounding him with weapons to throw too. An area the Bengals have excelled at, even going back to the Andy Dalton and Carson Palmer days. Burrow has only known 1,000-yard receivers his entire NFL career throwing to the likes of Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and of course his LSU buddy Ja’Marr Chase. Don’t forget about 4x time 1,000-yard rusher and 2021 pro bowl running back Joe Mixon who Burrow has had since his rookie season.

With Mixon off to Houston, Boyd to Tennessee, and Tee Higgins likely playing his final year in stripes, the Bengals have been preparing to restock. In the past two drafts the Bengals have used five day three picks on skill positions. Charlie Jones (4th round), Andrei Iosivas (6th round), Chase Brown (5th round), Erick All (4th round), Tanner McLachlan (6th round) are all future or current contributors on offense. And then there is 3rd round rookie Jermaine Burton out of Alabama who will be WR3 for the Bengals in 2024 and could add another element to this offense and a future starter.

While the Bengals have been inefficient at times when adding to the offensive line, they’ve supplied their QB with plenty of talent.

Off the field, the Bengals have done their part to modernize as a franchise since Joe Burrow has arrived. The Bengals donned new uniforms in Burrow’s second season, announced the construction of an indoor practice facility, and added a long overdue ring of honor in the stadium to honor their past players.

The Bengals are just like everybody else, they aren’t perfect, not everything has gone their way. NFL fans, pundits, and even former players clamored for Joe Burrow to refuse to go to Cincinnati. Yet since Burrow has been a Bengal, they’ve been to the Super Bowl, back-to-back AFC Championships and AFC North titles and doubled their playoff win total. As the great Sam Wyche once said, “You don’t live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati!”. This is not a place where quarterbacks come to die.