The Cincinnati Bengals gambled in free agency with the loss of offensive tackle Jonah Williams.
Williams went on to sign with the Arizona Cardinals, leaving the Bengals with a massive hole at right tackle in front of Joe Burrow, who enters 2024 off another season-ending injury.
But the Bengals address this in the latest mock draft from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., where they select Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga:
The Bengals let right tackle Jonah Williams leave in free agency, opening up a void at the position. I don’t see a replacement on the roster. They could fill it with Fuaga, one of my favorite prospects in this class. He is phenomenal in both the run and pass game, and he started 25 games at RT for the Beavers.
This was the risk with letting Williams get away (for a contract that wasn’t all that costly) because as Kiper goes on to point out, major names like LSU wideout Brian Thomas Jr. and Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy II are on the board in this scenario.
Yet the Bengals are semi-forced into offensive tackle now with right tackle vacant. And though they had interest in one free agent who visited and will host Trent Brown, even signing one of those guys probably won’t stop them from taking someone like Fuaga at No. 18.
Fuaga is a high-upside prospect who could start as a rookie if the inevitable veteran signing can’t go a full 17 games, at least, making this predictable-seeming scenario still the likeliest one to play out over the next month or so.
