The Athletic predicts how Bengals will address right tackle in 2023
The Cincinnati Bengals have a big decision to make this offseason when it comes to the right tackle position
The Cincinnati Bengals have a decision to make when it comes to the right tackle position.
La'el Collins, who was signed as the Bengals' right tackle before the 2022 season, suffered a torn ACL in Cincinnati's Week 16 win against the New England Patriots.
With Collins' status for 2023 uncertain, the Bengals need to decide if they want to spend big in free agency, add depth via free agency, or select a right tackle high in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr made an early Week 1 starters projection for the Bengals this week and he has Cincinnati going the "depth via free agency" route.
Dehner predicts that Jermaine Eluemunor will start at right tackle for the Bengals in Week 1 of the 2023 season.
Eluemunor, a fifth round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, spent the last two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders.
From The Athletic: The Bengals want to give Collins every chance to prove he can come back fully healthy from the ACL and back. They are in no rush to make a move. Coming off back-to-back seasons where the starting RT couldn’t finish the year, it’s easy to see why they are reluctant to cut him despite injury/age/financial reasons. That could require a stint on PUP to start the year, if necessary.
This would be an interesting move for the Bengals. Eluemunor isn't one of the premier options available in free agency, but he's motivated to be one of the top offensive tackles in the league.
Eluemunor recently had some shade thrown at him by David Carr, the older brother of new New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr.
“I think everybody, even Raiders fans, we need a right tackle, right? I remember talking to Dave Ziegler in OTAs, you got to get a right tackle," said Carr recently during an appearance on the Harvester Sports podcast. "Never got a right tackle. We talked about some right tackles; we talked about a right tackle that happens to play for the Saints right now. He was one of the guys that I talked to them about. ‘Yeah, we’re trying to get him.’ They didn’t get him, he’s in New Orleans where Derek goes."
Eluemunor responded by saying he didn't take offense to Carr's comments, but he also pointed out that he's determined to play at an elite level moving forward.
The Bengals play with a chip on their shoulder so Eluemunor would instantly be a good fit. This move would also allow Cincinnati to keep Collins. They could still draft a right tackle, though they could wait until later in the draft and hope to hit on a "sleeper".
This is one of the better options I've seen mentioned for the Bengals. And since no one is expecting Cincy to break the bank for an offensive lineman this offseason, it might be one of the most realistic scenarios, too.
