Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said the current offensive line is the best he’s had in his time with the team and called the return of all five starters a big advantage.But Warren Sharp, of SharpFootballAnalysis.com, projects the Cincinnati offensive line to be one of the worst in the league.In a post on X on Wednesday, Sharp ranked the offensive lines from 1 to 32 and put the Bengals at No. 28.ranking the best offensive lines1. Denver Broncos2. Philadelphia Eagles3. Buffalo Bills4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers5. Los Angeles Rams6. Chicago Bears7. San Francisco 49ers8. Los Angeles Chargers9. Seattle Seahawks10. Atlanta Falcons11. Indianapolis Colts12. Carolina…— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 8, 2026That seemed low, and it was suggested that Sharp must see multiple regression candidates among the Bengals’ starting five of Orlando Brown Jr., Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Dalton Risner and Amarius Mims.But Sharp, who specializes in inventing custom, predictive NFL analytics and visualized data, said that was not the case.He had the Bengals as the No. 28 offensive line last year in pass block win rate, so no regression was needed to land there again in 2026. “Bengals ranked #28 in pass block win rate last year,” he responded. “Allowed #3 most pressure, #2 most non-blitz pressure, #7 shortest time-to-sack. RB runs in primary OL combo (Brown-Fairchild-Karras-Risner-Mims): 3.9 YPC, -0.09 EPA/rush, 12.8% stuff rate, 1.29 YBC/att, which rank (respectively): #26, #25, #4, #14.“I think they can play better than this in 2026, but just rolling back 2025 would result in another bottom-10 result.”A big issue with season-long rankings is that they ignore half-season splits, and the Bengals offensive line certainly improved in the second half of the season, as one might expect with a first-year position coach and a rookie start in Fairchild.There also was the disastrous three-game starting stint by Jake Browning after Joe Burrow went down with the toe injury, and the instant immersion, learning curve of adding Joe Flacco as the starter after the team conceded Browning wasn’t the answer.Even taking the trajectory out of the equation, ESPN ranked the Bengals 10th in its run block win rate metric.ESPN had Cincinnati 28th in pass block win rate, but again, that’s a season-long metric and the improvement was noticeable in the second half of the season.It’s a big reason why the front office was comfortable running it back with the same five starters.Assuming there are no injuries in training camp, the Bengals will start the same five offensive lineman in a season opener that they did in the previous season finale for the first time since 2010.Much focus this offseason has been on the defense having a lot to prove after a terrible 2025 season.But it’s clear Sharp and others view the offensive line in the same light, and that group will be tested right off the bat with two of their first three games against problematic defensive lines in Houston and Pittsburgh.Sign Up For Our DAILY Newsletter for More Free Coverage of the Cincinnati Bengals Delivered to You DirectlyFor more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon. Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more! We're a one-stop shop for all things Cincinnati Bengals! Join the 65,000+ Bengals fans who subscribe to us on YouTube. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
NFL Analyst Ranks Bengals Offensive Line as One of Worst in League Despite Returning All 5 Starters
Group has plenty to prove as continuity reigns
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