CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Cincinnati Bengals right guard Lucas Patrick is aware of the noise. Following a rough week of training camp, he allowed pressure on a play against the Commanders, watched Burrow run around in a circle and then stuck his arms up to avoid a penalty on a crackback block.
“Everyone wants to make it seem like I was incompetent,” Patrick said. “But it’s a tough position to be in and feel for the first time. I’ve just got to learn from that play and take it in.”
Patrick is an eight-year veteran who has played in 112 NFL games, but he’s still facing adjustments as he gets used to the Bengals’ scheme.
“It’s definitely a tall task,” Patrick said. “You can’t let little issues turn into big ones. You have to address them. The way we do things here is different from what I’ve done in the past.”
Patrick added, “I’ve tried to put my best foot forward and play as well as I can, but I’m still adjusting to the nuances and really getting those down. I’ve got some work to do. There’s always work to do.”
With fewer than three weeks until the start of the regular season, the Bengals are still looking for their right guard. Due to injuries, the position battle hasn’t gone according to plan.
Patrick was expected to be the safest pick for that spot when the Bengals signed him. While he still appears to have the lead, he hasn’t hit the ground running and is now day-to-day with an upper body injury. It’s the second time in training camp that he has missed time with an injury, and Patrick has missed 16 regular season games over the last three seasons.
This summer, Patrick is competing with Cody Ford, who hasn’t run with the first-team at offensive guard in weeks and is also currently day-to-day with an injury, and Jalen Rivers, who hadn’t even practiced at guard until the middle of training camp.
Cordell Volson had a fine camp as a backup, but then he injured his shoulder and will now miss the entire season.
A saving grace for the Bengals at the guard position is that left guard Dylan Fairchild is having a strong camp. You never quite know what you’re going to get from a third-round rookie. Fairchild hasn’t been perfect, but his camp has been a success.
A Week 1 depth chart, assuming everyone gets healthy, could look like Brown-Fairchild-Karras-Patrick-Mims with the first team and Ford-Kirkland-Lee-Rivers-Cochran with the second team. Ford would be the primary backup at four of the five spots. Among that group, Patrick, Ford, Lee and Cochran are currently dealing with injuries.
If Zac Taylor had any ideas about what he wanted the right guard battle as well as the competition for depth spots to look like, injuries have prevented that plan from taking shape.
“We’ve had guys battling through injuries almost the entire time,” Taylor said. “So I don’t think any schedule we would have had on would have been able to stand up because guys have been fighting through different stuff.”
Jalen Rivers on the move
Three weeks ago, offensive line coach Scott Peters was asked if Rivers was going to get a look at guard. Peters said, “Right now, his need is at tackle.” Rivers also was more experienced playing on the left side of the line of scrimmage, and Peters wanted to give Rivers a chance to get comfortable at a newer spot at right tackle, where the Bengals need a backup.
That plan has changed significantly, and Rivers spent last week working as the second-team right guard. Then on Wednesday, with Ford, Patrick and Volson out due to injuries, Rivers was the first-team right guard. He hadn’t even played that position in practice until Aug. 9. In Washington, Rivers received 56 snaps at right guard.
“I felt good,” Rivers said. “There are some things that you look at and see you can get better at. Overall, I feel like I’m making the right strides. They drafted me to be a versatile lineman for them. I’m showing that I can do that. Guard is a position where you’re facing more stout guys. That’s a strength for me to go against guys like that. Guard is a good spot for me, but I’m not saying I can’t do tackle.”
When Rivers played tackle in the preseason opener against Philadelphia, he allowed a sack and struggled against speed rushers. After the game, the coaches told him that he’d be working at guard going forward.
Rivers’ performance against the Commanders at guard was more of a mixed bag.
“I thought there were some good things and there were things we need to continue to improve as the game went on,” Taylor said. “I love his mindset, I love his attention to detail. He’s got all the traits and mindset that we’re looking for. I think that he’s getting more and more comfortable in that role as he’s played more guard for us.”
Swing tackle still TBD
The Bengals didn’t sign a true swing tackle to back up Amarius Mims and Orlando Brown Jr. The Bengals drafted Rivers to fill that role. It’s an important one, especially since Mims has battled a hand injury that goes back to last season.
Over the last few weeks, Ford (who’s a better fit at guard than tackle) has received most of his reps at tackle and has spelled Mims and Brown on different days. On a few days, Ford worked at tackle with Rivers at guard as the coaching staff prioritized getting those players reps at those respective positions. Devin Cochran, who played poorly but appeared in four games last season, is also an option when he returns from injury.
Ideally, maybe if the Bengals had a better swing tackle, Ford would get more reps at guard and keep the battle with Patrick alive. Taylor said that Ford is still involved in the right guard battle. Dropping Ford back in at right guard at the last second before the season is at least still a possibility.
Dalton Risner and the depth conversation
The state of the interior offensive line had the Bengals circling back with Dalton Risner, who took a visit last week but has not signed. Reportedly, the two sides will stay in touch.
Risner has had a hard time finding a home in free agency over the last few years. While he grades out well on PFF, the pressures that he allowed in Minnesota last year essentially broke former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. The Vikings’ coaches and front office threw the team’s guard play under the bus at the end of last season. Then in free agency, the Bengals showed their preference and picked Patrick over Risner.
Still, the state of the offensive line might mean that Risner would actually be an upgrade for the team’s depth considering what the Bengals are working with. If the Bengals signed Risner, he’d be competing for a backup spot with players who haven’t proven that they can stick on a 53-man roster.
The second-team offensive line against Washington was Jaxson Kirkland (more of a guard than a tackle, a former UDFA who hasn’t shown a ton in three years), Andrew Steuber (more of a practice squad candidate), Andrew Raym (signed right before camp), Rivers (who also had to step into the first unit in Patrick’s place) and Andrew Coker (replacing the injured Cochran).
Matt Lee still hasn’t played. Seth McLaughlin only received mop up reps in Washington. Neither player is a short-term answer.
The Bengals’ offensive line needs help at multiple spots. They need to be active in the trade market, and they’ll certainly be looking at the waiver wire after cut down day. Signing Risner is also an option that would improve the room even if Risner is a flawed pass protector.
Taylor was asked about the possibility of adding help up front.
“We’re still working through it,” Taylor said. “We’ve got guys who are competing for a lot of the jobs there and I’m excited to see how that shakes out over the next couple of weeks.”
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