Cincinnati Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack sounds like a man happy with the majority of his projected line starters going into 2023.
Speaking with reporters at the combine, Pollack inferred the team is really happy with every spot besides right tackle — and that’s only due to injury uncertainty surrounding La’el Collins.
“Comfortable with all those guys. Comfortable with LC when he’s healthy at the right tackle spot. Very comfortable with those guys,” Pollack said, according to CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia. “They improved over the course of the year. They got really good experience understanding what those guys can and cannot do.”
Pollack and otherwise made it clear that Jonah Willaims won’t move from the left tackle spot. Like Collins, he’s currently rehabbing an injury.
Ted Karras and Alex Cappa obviously aren’t moving off center and right guard, respectively. If the Bengals had made it, Cappa would have likely played in the Super Bowl.
Going into his sophomore season, it sounds like Cordell Volson could be locked in at left guard. That leaves Collins, who might not be ready by Week 1. As often speculated by fans and media, it’s right tackle the team could make a splash at, especially in the first two rounds of the draft.
While some might take a what else was he supposed to say? reaction to Pollack’s comments, the fact is this Bengals starting five played the most snaps together of any starting five for the majority of the season before the injury bug drastically struck. That showed in the big improvement, so it’s no shock coaches are comfortable with the starting five (just not necessarily the depth that had to replace them late).
