Pro Football Rumors
Defense understandably became the primary Bengals offseason focus, given the events of 2024, but the team will almost definitely have a rookie starting on offense. Despite not being drafted until No. 81 overall, Dylan Fairchild appears a safe bet to begin his rookie season as a starter.
The Bengals have Fairchild ready to take over at left guard, The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. notes. Rather than cross-training Fairchild at both guard spots, OC Dan Pitcher said (via SI.com’s Jay Morrison) the team is only having him work at the LG spot. That development has not yet hit a snag, and Fairchild is readying to replace Cordell Volson as the Bengals’ primary starter there.
Touted as a competition between Volson and Fairchild, Cincinnati’s LG situation now looks settled. Fairchild will make the common SEC-to-NFL jump, coming from Georgia. Fairchild started for the Bulldogs over the previous two seasons, earning second-team All-America acclaim for his 2024 performance. Although veteran options exist in Cincinnati, the team’s plan appears clear.
A 2022 fourth-round pick, Volson had been the Bengals’ primary LG from 2022-24. He started 48 games in that span but was benched in December of last year. The Bengals then reduced his contract-year salary this offseason, adding $500K guaranteed in that compromise, putting the North Dakota State product on the roster bubble.
With Fairchild the likely Week 1 Cincy LG starter, the team will turn to a veteran at the other guard spot. While the Bengals signed Lucas Patrick this offseason, ESPN.com’s Ben Baby notes Cody Ford is the clubhouse leader to take over there. Ford can be classified as having the inside track, per Baby, especially as Patrick has missed recent practices with an injury. The Bengals gave Patrick a one-year, $2.1MM deal but only guaranteed him $200K. Ford re-signed on a two-year, $6MM contract that came with $1MM guaranteed.
Both deals featured the team protecting itself, but Ford is now in his third year in Zac Taylor‘s system. After making one start in 2023, the former Bills second-round pick made nine last season. Ford, though, spent most of his 2024 time filling in for Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle. He played 431 snaps there, logging zero at right guard. Ford did line up at LG on 152 plays last year. Patrick has vacillated between center and guard during his career. After a two-year run as the Bears’ primary snapper ended, he caught on with the Saints and worked as their primary LG, logging 474 snaps there last season.
Overall, the Bengals are counting on lower-level investments to bail them out at guard — after the team released three-year RG Alex Cappa this offseason — and Dehner adds neither Ford nor Patrick looked great during the team’s preseason opener Thursday. This is obviously not a great juncture to bring in a veteran, and a July offering pointed to the Bengals standing down here. That said, Brandon Scherff, Dalton Risner, Cody Whitehair and Mark Glowinski are available. The Cardinals and Steelers, respectively,...
