The Cincinnati Bengals may already have their next breakout player sitting right in the middle of the offensive line.
That unit has been a lingering issue for a team that has stacked up one of the league’s better offenses over the past few seasons. The Bengals have had plenty of firepower, but the line has often been the piece that kept them from making another push to the Super Bowl.
Last season, though, that group started to settle in. Over the final stretch, the Bengals posted solid Pro Football Focus marks as both run blockers and pass blockers, and that gives them a chance to take another step this year.
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com recently released his All-Breakout Team on offense for the 2026 season, and Bengals tackle Mims made the cut among the linemen Brooks singled out.
“The supersized edge protector is on the verge of earning accolades and honors as a 'bully ball' specialist for the Bengals,” Brooks wrote. “Standing 6-foot-8 and 350 pounds, Mims routinely knocks defensive ends around, creating huge lanes for running backs to access on off-tackle and perimeter runs. Furthermore, Mims' pass protection is critical to Cincinnati's success, with Joe Burrow expected to toss the ball all over the yard to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.”
That kind of upside is exactly why Mims stands out. At 23, he already has the kind of frame that can anchor an offensive line for years, and he’s shown enough to suggest there’s more coming. His PFF grades were only average last season, but he started flashing real stardom down the stretch.
The challenge is obvious. If Cincinnati wants to get back to the playoffs and the Super Bowl, the offensive line has to hold up.
And a lot of that will run through Mims, especially when it comes to keeping Burrow clean. In a division that includes TJ Watt, Trey Hendrickson, and last season Myles Garrett, that’s no small assignment.
If Mims turns in the kind of season the Bengals are hoping for, he could quickly move from promising young tackle to one of the best at his position in football.
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Amarius Mims Is Giving Bengals Rare Hope Up Front
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Mims is now entering the third year of his rookie contract, and the Bengals are positioned to keep building around him with the same offensive line coach and veteran teammates in place. If he keeps playing at this level, the upside is obvious, because the kind of development he showed this year puts him on a path that could eventually put him among the leagues best at his position. [Read more 🡒]