The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the most high-variance teams in the NFL. When Joe Burrow is healthy and they have a good defense backing him up, the Bengals can hang with and beat anybody. When Burrow succumbs to an injury or the defense cannot hold up its end of the bargain, the Bengals could just as easily finish in the cellar of the AFC North, below that of even the rival Cleveland Browns.
Although I am quite bullish on the Bengals this year, mostly because Burrow can do no wrong in my eyes, I do have some concerns about this team's upward trajectory for this season. It has something to do with their pass rush, and everything to do with their offensive line. The Shemar Stewart holdout was painfully frustrating for everyone involved, but he seems to have hit the ground running recently.
While he only registered a combined 4.5 sacks over this three seasons at Texas A&M, the first-round pick by the Bengals in the NFL Draft is wreaking havoc in practice, causing even more concern about the team's biggest pervasive issue. How good is this offensive line going to be? Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims should be able to hold up their own out on the edge, but what about the interior?
Here is Stewart beating Cody Ford for a sack of Burrow in practice, making Lucas Patrick look so bad.
Shemar Stewart beats Cody Ford for the sack. Joe Burrow has made some nice throws today, but the defensive front is getting after him a bit during this period.
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) August 15, 2025
This wasn’t a great rep for Lucas Patrick (62) 😅😅😅 pic.twitter.com/clWrUKSS9G
The fact Stewart is doing this to the Bengals offensive line has me worried about Burrow's health!
Cincinnati Bengals offensive line may once again let Joe Burrow down
For the record, I have the Bengals winning double-digit games and challenging Baltimore for divisional supremacy in the AFC North. While Baltimore is my pick to get to and win the Super Bowl, I still think the Bengals will have more than a say in the matter. Adding Al Golden from Notre Dame to fix Lou Anarumo's defense could be the huge boost this team will need to get back into the NFL playoffs.
However, none of that is going to matter if Burrow is spending more than eight hours a day lying on his back. Cincinnati drafted Stewart inside the top 20 because of his traits and untapped potential. He is more of a project than a prospect, but maybe Golden can get the most out of him? I will say that Duke Tobin usually does a better job than most of his counterparts when it comes to drafting players.
In the end, this may only be a cause for concern because it is training camp. Unfortunately, I have watched enough football in my 35-plus years on this planet to know this to be true when it comes to football. It is very difficult, almost impossible to win a championship at any level when a team is below average along the offensive line. The same principles apply to the defense as a whole. You need both.
Cincinnati may find the right front-five to start the year, but this unit is not one to write home about...