The Bengals spent the 2026 offseason making a statement on defense. They traded their first-round pick to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence, added priority free agents Bryan Cook and Boye Mafe, and used their first pick on edge rusher Cashius Howell, who has the shortest arms ever recorded for the position. It was a clear, out-of-character push to show Joe Burrow they were serious after two seasons of falling short on that side of the ball.
Now comes the obvious next step: do the same thing for the offensive line in 2027.
The blueprint is already there. Cincinnati can use free agency, the draft, and a premium pick to attack the line with the same urgency it brought to the defense. If the goal is to give Burrow a front that can truly hold up, next offseason has to be about swinging big.
At the top of the wish list should be Quenton Nelson, with Ikem Ekwonu as the fallback if Nelson never reaches the market. The Bengals will see Ekwonu up close in Week 15 against the Panthers, giving them an early look at a player who could land on their radar.
Carolina has Taylor Morton, Rasheed Walker, and rookie Monroe Freeling at tackle while Ekwonu works back from injury. He is expected to return this season, but if he is not fully healthy and has a rough year, the Panthers could decide he is expendable.
That would make him a discounted, high-upside target Cincinnati should not hesitate to pursue.
Ekwonu could fit at tackle or right guard, depending on how the rest of the line shakes out.
Nelson would be the bigger swing. If he reaches free agency, the Bengals should be ready to unload the cash and make the trip to Indianapolis count.
It would not be a cheap market, and Nelson would have plenty of suitors, but he would still be an obvious upgrade for most NFL guard spots even at 32. Cincinnati plays the Colts just one week after the Panthers, though no scouting trip would be necessary to know what Nelson would bring.
If Indianapolis lets him walk, that would be a massive win. The problem is counting on that, which is why the Bengals need a backup plan.
One possible route is a trade for Miami Dolphins tackle Patrick Paul. It is strange to be talking about 2024 draft picks as trade targets already, but that is where the league is with players taken outside the first round and without fifth-year options.
Paul was a favorite target for Cincinnati in the first round, and the Dolphins grabbing him at No. 55 still stings. The Bengals also had another chance in the second round and passed when they selected defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr., who himself is now a potential trade candidate.
If Cincinnati really wanted to make the move, it would probably take a first-round pick, maybe more, plus a new contract to pry Paul away from Miami. The Bengals just extended Orlando Brown Jr., but he has declined in recent years, and a post-June 1 release next year would clear more than $11 million. Miami, meanwhile, may be looking for a franchise quarterback in the draft and could be tempted by extra ammo to move up in a strong QB class.
The draft should still be part of the answer, especially at center. Starting centers like Zach Frazier and Creed Humphrey are the kind of players that show what smart scouting can do.
Cincinnati passed on Frazier to take Jenkins, just as it once took Jackson Carman in the second round while Humphrey went to Kansas City 17 picks later. The Bengals could use their 2027 first-rounder on an established starter and then look to the second round for a center.
Names to watch early this college season include Iowa’s Kade Pieper and Minnesota’s Greg Johnson, if you buy into the NFL Mock Draft Database.
There is still a belief around the league that Connor Lew could be the answer at center if Ted Karras leaves next season. But that is the same kind of hope people had when they thought Matt Lee would be Karras’ heir apparent.
Maybe Lew becomes that guy. For now, it feels more like a hope than a certainty.
That is the danger for Cincinnati. Fans will always talk themselves into whoever the team drafts, no matter the round or the circumstances.
But the front office cannot keep leaning on optimism to protect Burrow. The goal has to be a top-10 offensive line in 2027, not just something a little better than what came before.
This year’s group may be what the Bengals have to work with, and it may already be too late to change that. Still, with Karras entering the final year of his contract and Brown’s contract year coming in 2027, next offseason lines up as the right time to go all-in up front.
For now, the Bengals have to hope the current version is enough. After that, the offensive line should be next.
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