Bengals forced into an IMPOSSIBLE situation...

Cincinnati Bengals forced into an impossible decision at swing tackle with the release of a long time tackle backup that they're gonna be looking at a lot of different options here. We're gonna be diving into all of that today here on Bengals Digest. Be sure to stick around to the very end because some of these names may surprise you guys a little bit. With all that being said, thank you for joining us here today on Bengals Digest. I am your host, Adam Magnani. We really appreciate you guys tuning in today. A big shout out to our subs who have been crushing it, helping us get to where we are now. And if you could help us reach our goal of 6,000 subs, hopefully we can get there before the season starts. That's a mighty goal to push for, but I really do think we can do it. You guys have been crushing it. It's completely free to do so. So we dive in after all of that, talking about the release of, you know, it's a couple of days old at this point, not as fresh anymore, but the release of Cody Ford. Now, we've talked about, you know, what this kind of means for the team and everything. It's not, I wouldn't say a crucial blow, but it does leave a lot of questions on the table of what is needed for the Bengals now that he has departed from the team. So in terms of why it's needed here, Lana Belote of Bengals Sports Illustrated said, with Jalen Rivers' inconsistent performance at left tackle this preseason, the best option could very well not be on the roster currently. Javon Foster has looked like the most capable swing tackle for the Bengals, and even he has not proven someone you can feel great about, proven to be someone you can feel great about. And I mean, yeah, we really didn't feel great about swing tackle going into the season. We know that it was a need that the Bengals had. And even if Cody Ford was still on this roster and playing well in the preseason, I still don't think it would be what most fans would necessarily want there. And so when Zach Taylor was asked on if he thinks that the swing tackle position is on the current roster, he just said, we're always open to everything. Now, that could mean that, yeah, we're open to trying any guys at swing tackle, seeing what they have to do, seeing what they can do, I should say. But I think he leans more towards meaning that it could be out there on the open market. That's really what it seems like to me is, yeah, we're open to going out and getting a guy, whether that be a trade, whether that be a free agent. Today, we're gonna be covering free agents, so and we're gonna start off hot with probably the best option of the three that I'm gonna mention today, and that is Jonah Williams. So bringing him back to Cincinnati, he was someone that spent some time in Cincinnati, but most recently with the Cardinals, he is a free agent, and we're gonna talk about why he deserves to take the swing tackle position. I know he's a little bit older, but as far as someone who's not starting, I do think this is a good choice. This is by far the most obvious option coming from Landon Belotta here. Williams was a first pick made in the Zack Taylor era and went on to be an average level starter at left tackle before Orlando Brown Jr. replaced him in 2023. He swapped to right tackle at that point and remained there during his time with the Cardinals. He received his fair share of criticism during his time with the Bengals as a starter, but it would be a well above average option as a swing tackle right now. So obviously not the best option, but if you look at the free agents available right now, there's not a ton there, to be honest. And in terms of someone who has been in the Zack Taylor era, bringing him back, I don't think it's such a bad idea, and I would definitely place him over the other two that I'm gonna mention, but I'm still gonna bring them up because I do think that if Jonah Williams isn't an option, I like the idea of these two guys. The next one up is Kelvin Beecham, another guy from the Cardinals. You know, bringing these guys in could make a lot of sense. One of these three, I really do think so. And so he's 37, but he's still playing well. He finished with an overall grade of 51.6, which is pretty lackluster with PFF, but he stood tall with a pass blocking grade of 78.3, doing so as a swing tackle, which is exactly what the Bengals need. He is now entering his 14th season in the NFL, has played in average to above average level throughout his career. Never appeared in the Super Bowl, joining an offense with playmakers at every corner could sway him to join Cincinnati and compete for his first Super Bowl. And guys, I cannot stress enough that the option of a swing tackle, are they, you know, on the field every single play? No, but you look at Cody Ford, he played in 50 of 51 of the last games that he spent with Cincinnati across, you know, the few years that he's been here. And so in terms of how much it means to the overall season, I do think it means a pretty good amount on offense in terms of like, you know, depth wins championships. We're typically talking about defensive depth when we say that, but in this case, I really do think it applies to the offense too with that swing tackle position. Now, rounding out with the third one we're gonna mention, this is Cornelius Lucas from the Cleveland Browns. So talking about him outside of last season, Lucas has shown quality play during his career as a backup tackle. He earned a 75.4 overall PFF grade in 2024 with the commanders, including a 79.1 grade as a pass blocker that season across 464 total snaps. So pretty solid numbers from him just two years ago. From what I remember, I don't think he had any injury concerns since then. And so I still think he's a very solid option. Now we're gonna pull up just to kind of relook at this offensive line depth chart and see what we do have. This is, you know, post cut. So in that left tackle one here, it would be Cody Ford there, but now there's like a gap. If you look at the Bengals actual website in terms of Orlando Brown to Javon Foster. So is he an option? Yeah. Andrew Coker, an option. Jalen Rivers, an option. Not the best options, guys. Let's face it. The starting five, solid. I love that we're bringing those guys back. They really gelled a lot at the end of last season, but I think you gotta bring in, was Cody Ford like this irreplaceable player that we lost? No, he wasn't. I mean, it was honestly inevitable. And for a player to be getting four penalties in the first half of a preseason game, when you've been around the block in the NFL for a little bit, I do think that it's your time to go. And so I'm very curious who you guys would want at swing tackle. Is it one of these guys that we mentioned? Is it Jonah Williams? Is it Kelvin Beauchamp? Is it Cornelius Lucas? Is there another free agent, or even someone who's not a free agent that you'd be willing to give up like a sixth or a seventh round pick, maybe even a fifth for that swing tackle position? Or do you think that the swing tackle is already on this roster that we were just looking at? If so, let me know down in the comments below. I'm very curious to see what you guys have to say. I'm not too convinced yet that looking at this depth chart, that there is a valuable swing tackle on the roster. I didn't think so when Cody Ford was here, and I don't think so now, but you guys let me know what you think down in the comments below. And with all that being said, you guys have a great rest of your day.