The Cincinnati Bengals spent the offseason trying to patch the holes around Joe Burrow, but ESPN analyst Louis Riddick still sees the same danger hanging over the season: the offensive line.
Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up, Riddick gave Cincinnati credit for its work on defense, but he made it clear that one improved unit doesn’t solve the bigger issue. Burrow still has to stay protected, and Riddick doesn’t sound convinced that problem is finished.
“The offensive line is still a problem. That could derail everything.” @LRiddickESPN breaks down what the Bengals need to fix before the season starts 👀 pic.twitter.com/GgPqUBaDOb
- Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 26, 2026
Riddick pointed to the Bengals’ preseason opener against the Detroit Lions as a warning sign. Burrow took a nine-yard sack in that game and was hit in the arm on an incomplete pass. Against Detroit, Cincinnati’s line allowed pressure on 15 of 40 dropbacks.
That snapshot fits a much larger pattern. Since 2021, Burrow has been blitzed less than any quarterback in the league, but he still leads the NFL in hits within 2.5 seconds of the snap.
He’s also the second-leading quarterback in sacks taken over that span, behind only Russell Wilson, who retired earlier this summer. The message is simple: defenses don’t need to blitz Burrow to make life miserable.
Cincinnati did attack its defensive issues aggressively this offseason. The Bengals added pass rusher Boye Mafe, safety Bryan Cook and defensive lineman Jonathan Allen in free agency, then traded their first-round pick to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence. That came after a rough 2025 on that side of the ball, when Cincinnati finished 31st in total defense and 30th in scoring defense.
The line in front of Burrow has been better than that mess, but better is not the same as settled. Cincinnati gave up 36 sacks in 2025, the 14th fewest in the league, and finished tied for 10th in sack percentage, its first top-10 finish since 2014. Burrow even said late last season that it was the best offensive line he had played behind.
Still, the scars are hard to forget. The Bengals allowed 74 sacks in 2021, and Burrow took 19 more across four playoff games that postseason, including seven in the Super Bowl loss to the Rams. That memory lingers every time protection starts to wobble.
This year’s group is intact, with all five starters back. Right tackle Amarius Mims made progress in 2025, left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. is trying to rebound toward his Kansas City level, and Dalton Risner is back to help hold down the interior alongside Ted Karras and Dylan Fairchild. Brown has said he expects the unit to be one of the best in the league.
Riddick has heard that sort of promise before. The Bengals have continuity up front, not a complete overhaul, and that leaves the same question they keep running into: is it enough to keep Burrow upright when the season starts for real?
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