Ever since allowing Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler to walk in free agency, the Bengals have been facing the harsh reality of the NFL. It doesn’t matter how much talent you have at other positions, you just can’t compete without a solid offensive line.
The small scouting department has proven over the years that they can’t adequately identify legitimate offensive line prospects coming out of the college ranks. They have missed on players like Cedric Ogbuehi , Jake Fisher, Russell Bodine, Christian Westerman, and more in recent drafts.
Beyond that, a lot of turnover in recent years at the offensive line coaching position has complicated things further.