Bengals’ Week 1 depth chart sets the table for a starting battle that will persist even after the season-opener
Cincinnati has not decided on a starter along the offensive line.
The Cincinnati Bengals have unveiled their depth chart ahead of Week 1’s matchup against the Cleveland Browns, and there aren’t very many surprises to be seen.
While there are a few positions worth discussing with the defense, the right guard spot contains the biggest question on the team. Lucas Patrick remains the starter on paper and is likely going to be out there against Cleveland. Dalton Risner being listed right behind him is no accident, and with the former second-round pick now in the fold after signing on last week, the stage is set for a new battle to commence.
Lucas Patrick vs. Dalton Risner for the Bengals’ starting right guard job
Risner joining Cincinnati’s roster wasn’t just for depth purposes. If the seventh-year vet can come in and prove to be the best player for the job, the job very well could be his before long.
Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher assured that how the beginning of the regular season unfolds will help determine which player officially secures the spot for the long haul.
“We’ve gotten a lot of really good feedback – training camp practice feedback, preseason feedback. There is no feedback like regular season game feedback,” Pitcher told reporters Monday. “Shame on us if we say we are set in stone on anything.
“That’s certainly an area we will continue to evaluate and take the new information as we get it.”
Risner would probably need the greatest week of practice a guard has ever had in order to convince Pitcher and Co. he’s the obvious choice to start over Patrick before actual game tape is produced, but the Bengals’ OC not declaring either one the title just yet does keep the door open.
Patrick and Risner being listed at RG while rookie Jalen Rivers is over at left guard behind rookie starter Dylan Fairchild does create the impression that the two vets are in primary consideration to start between center Ted Karras and right tackle Amarius Mims.
Backups and reserves need to play multiple positions, and Rivers is no exception, but the arrival of Risner likely did more to hurt the fifth-rounder’s chance to start than help them. A three-way battle with the season set to kick off is not exactly practical anyways.
Patrick vs. Risner is the competition to watch. It’ll begin when practice officially starts Wednesday, and depending on how Sunday in Cleveland turns out, an end date may not be for a little while.
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