The Cincinnati Bengals have continuously sounded like a team all-in on fixing the offensive line this offseason.
That includes coaches talking about the idea of moving Jonah Williams around to a different spot. It has included big names in the front office talking about trades. And it has included reports that they’re linked to two of the biggest free-agent names out there.
While soaking in the scouting combine, ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler mentioned the Bengals alongside San Francisco 49ers guard Laken Tomlinson:
“He’s emerging as a top guard available and could spark a bidding war closer to free agency. The Bengals, Panthers, Vikings, Steelers, Jets and Seahawks are among teams that will be in the guard market. Austin Corbett is also a buzzworthy name just below Tomlinson.”
Tomlinson, for what it’s worth, is mentioned in a section dubbed “free agents whose new deals might surprise you.”
Now 30 years old, Tomlinson might just fall into that category, too — he allowed just two sacks over 1,094 snaps last year.
The writeup also mentioned the Bengals alongside Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen:
“One player I expect to generate a lot of interest on the free-agent market is center Ryan Jensen, who has the attention of the Jets, Bengals, Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, among others.”
Jensen could end up being one of the most expensive free agents on the market outright, but he’d be a bonafide veteran upgrade at an important spot.
Either way, we’re a ways off from the legal-tampering window (March 14-16), so none of this is concrete. But if word is already out (likely from agents) that the Bengals are in at least one of these races, it’s safe to presume they’ll be looking to spend on the line.
