Earlier this offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals made a responsible decision when they drafted standout offensive tackle Amarius Mims out of the University of Georgia. Mims was an absolute tank for the Bulldogs last season and was a major contributor toward getting his team to a National Championship appearance. In his short tenure in Cincinnati, Mims has already impressed coaches and will likely be the starting right tackle protecting the strong side of superstar quarterback Joe Burrow. The real question is how the team shuffles the rest of the line to maximize talent.
For the past several years, this team has been in a constant struggle trying to find the five best offensive linemen they can to protect their franchise quarterback. Last offseason, fans rejoiced when the front office announced the blockbuster signing of high-profile offensive tackle Orlando Brown. Unfortunately, he failed to provide the sound protection that fans expected, and he has been bullied when he faces elite competition. In a division with elite pass rushers like Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt, that is simply too costly to settle for a player with issues with consistency.
On top of that, this organization double dipped at the tackle position this offseason when they signed offensive tackle Trent Brown to a low-risk, one-year contract. While Brown is sitting at the overripe age of 31, he managed to be one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL last season even though he played on one of the most dysfunctional offenses in the league. That means that the younger Brown may end being the third best offensive tackle on the roster this upcoming season even with his monster contract averaging $16 million per season.Given that the team just finished OTAs and were able to take a good look at what Mims is capable of, it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility to see MIms and T. Brown as the starting offensive tackles this season. If that is the case, this team could shop O. Brown around and likely pick up at least a first-round pick for the talented tackle. The biggest hassle would be that the team would be stuck eating approximately $16 million in a dead cap penalty but on a team that has plenty of cap space this upcoming season but major needs in the long term, that may work out perfectly.
While that would be a major commitment for Cincinnati to make both in a rookie and in an aging veteran, O. Brown simply hasn’t shown the ability to justify his lucrative contract. Cincinnati has the ability to generate $16 million per season after the upcoming year as well as clear the field for Mims to emerge as a top-tier talent. They should take it.
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