Bengals show where two position battles stand during first OTA practice and one of them confirms a coach’s bold statement
The Cincinnati Bengals have nearly 100 days to decide on which players will start at both guard spots, but day one of OTAs showed where their heads are at with both position battles. During the first 11-on-air session of Tuesday's practice, Dylan Fairchild was at left guard and Lucas Patrick repped at right guard. Fairchild […]
The Cincinnati Bengals have nearly 100 days to decide on which players will start at both guard spots, but day one of OTAs showed where their heads are at with both position battles.
During the first 11-on-air session of Tuesday's practice, Dylan Fairchild was at left guard and Lucas Patrick repped at right guard.
Fairchild was Cincinnati's third-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft. He started the last two years at left guard for Georgia and played a total of 1,315 snaps at the position during his college career. Moments after he was picked, offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher made it clear he's the front-runner to start there for his new team.
"Left guard is absolutely his to win," Pitcher said.
So far, this is indeed the case. Fairchild was the first of two offensive linemen draft by the Bengals in April. Jalen Rivers, the club's fifth-round pick, is said to be taking reps at left tackle to for the time being.
Patrick is the lone free agent addition the Bengals signed at guard this offseason, so it's no surprise to see him get first crack at right guard over the players who are returning such as Cody Ford, Cordell Volson, and Jaxson Kirkland. Ford did rep with the ones during voluntary workouts earlier this month, but Patrick got the nod the first time the helmets came on.
Right guard might be the spot that's more of a true competition with Patrick, Ford, and Volson being the main participants.
Ford was extended for two years, $6 million and will rep mostly inside during the offseason but has tackle flexibility as well to keep him on the team as a reserve. Volson recently accepted a pay cut with incentives he's expected to earn according to NFL salary cap rules, but his new deal hardly protects him from being released at any point this year.
It appears both names are below Patrick on the depth chart, at least at this very moment.
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