While the Cincinnati Bengals are still waiting to get QB Joe Burrow back under center, they are still trying to break in his new right tackle, as well. He happens to be Burrow’s former left tackle, Jonah Williams, who was displaced from his position after the team signed Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency.
The former Alabama standout is still getting his feet under him at his new position following his first live reps there in the Bengals’ second preseason game. He told reporters that he “got some jitters out”, via the team’s website, adding that he’s glad for it; “I don’t have to think about it anymore”.
Life on the right side of the line is not entirely new to Williams. He played right tackle for the Crimson Tide his first year there before moving to left tackle for his final two seasons. His play there was good enough to earn him a first-round contract, the Bengals drafting him 11th overall in 2019.
Missing his rookie season due to injury, he has been the left tackle for the past few years. His development over that time has been limited, however, which must be in part what prompted the front office to go out this offseason and make a bold move, adding a multiple-time Pro Bowler at the position in Brown.
Williams was ostensibly battling third-year offensive lineman Carman Jackson for the right tackle job, but the coaches seem to have given up on that. The former second-round pick has been getting reps at left tackle now, likely in preparation for taking on a swing tackle role.
There is the matter of La’el Collins, whom the Bengals signed a year ago to start at right tackle. His first year in Cincinnati came to a halt with a season-ending injury, however, from which he is still recovering. While he has been making progress, there is no timeline as to when he may be ready to return to football action. Surely not before the start of the regular season.
Getting the offensive line solidified will be no small step for the Bengals, who ranked 30th in pass-blocking grade as a team in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus. That was in spite of the addition of a trio of veteran free agents, Collins joined by C Ted Karras and G Alex Kappa.
Things took a turn for the worse later in the year as injuries mounted, granted, and that contributed to their overall poor grade—in itself one small, subjective measuring stick. They should be better this year, perhaps significantly so, for not the least of which reason being the collective experience gained from last season.
Part of that hinges upon the successful transition to right tackle for Williams, or, failing that, the return to health of Collins at some point later in the season. Because whoever is there is going to have to deal with T.J. Watt twice a year, among others.
