Cincy Jungle
If the Bengals are really looking to keep Joe Burrow upright in the pocket, there is still some work to be done.
The 2025 NFL Draft is over, and the Cincinnati Bengals are six players deeper than they were before it began, but there are still some areas that could be improved.
The Bengals selected two offensive linemen in the draft, Georgia’s Dylan Fairchild and Miami (Fl)’s Jalen Rivers, but they waited until the third and fifth rounds to address the position.
They also re-signed Cody Ford and brought in Lucas Patrick to compete for a guard position along with Cordell Volson, who’s entering the final year of his rookie contract. It can’t be said the Bengals don’t have options because they do, but it wouldn’t hurt to add one more guard to the roster to help make sure Joe Burrow somehow has a better 2025 season than he did in 2024.
Here’s the big name. Scherff is a five-time Pro Bowler and was an All-Pro in 2020. He’s 33, but in 2024, in his last season with the Jaguars, he started every game at right guard and didn’t allow a single sack (PFF).
Scherff could be mulling retirement, he could be waiting until we’re closer to the season so he can skip camp, and he could have a select few teams in mind he’d be willing to sign with. At his age and with his accolades, he’s earned that right.
Winning a Super Bowl is about the only thing Scherff doesn’t have on his resume, and blocking for Burrow could be his path of least resistance.
Hernandez may be the second-biggest name at guard left in free agency. He signed a two-year extension with the Cardinals right before the 2023 season, started every game at right guard in 2023 and started out that way before going down with a knee injury in Week 5 of 2024.
In 2023, PFF credited Hernandez with just four sacks, and he didn’t allow any sacks before he was injured last season. He’s not back to 100% yet, and it isn’t clear whether or not he will be by the time the season starts, but if he is, and there is mutual interest, he could be a nice fit.
Scherff and Hernandez are right guards (Hernandez has been for the last four seasons, but played left guard before that), but Risner has played every season at left guard but one. If the Bengals drafted Fairchild with the expectation he’d take over the right guard position, Risner could compete with Patrick, Ford, and Volson for the left guard position, and they could see who rises to the top.
Risner is reportedly in talks with multiple teams, and one of the teams he mentioned was the Bengals, along with the Vikings and Broncos. He may not be the lineman Scherff or a healthy Hernandez is, but he’s still among the best options for a guard still available....
