Browns rival drafts injury-prone lineman to protect injury-prone QB

The Cleveland Browns have had a very good offseason as they've filled several holes through free agency and via trade. Their in-state rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, have not had a very good offseason.

Cincinnati spent several months in the news cycle with Tee Higgins set for free agency. They ultimately hit him with the franchise tag but he asked to be traded after the front office failed to negotiate in good faith. To add insult to injury, defensive end Trey Hendrickson also asked to be traded — which was quite a blindside.

Speaking of blindside, the Bengals have struggled to block Joe Burrow's blindside ever since he came into the NFL. They've dedicated several high draft picks and added multiple free agents in an effort to keep him upright and while they finally have the left tackle spot figured out with Orlando Brown, they still needed a better option on the right side.

The Bengals believe they have this now as they used the 18th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Amarius Mims from Georgia. Mims is an impressive player who stands 6-foot-8 and 340 pounds. He moves well despite his size and has one of the highest ceilings in this class. The problem is that he has arguably the lowest floor of all linemen due to inexperience and durability concerns.

Mims started two games in 2022 and seven in 2023. He also needed surgery last year due to an ankle injury, which has to concern Bengals' fans since their star quarterback has also dealt with injuries throughout his career.

Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020, missed six games as a rookie due to a torn ACL and seven in 2023 due to a wrist injury. He also dealt with a calf injury which slowed him down early in the year.

Cincinnati has dealt with many injuries, including former offensive tackle Jonah Williams missing time in 2020 and La'el Collins playing just 15 games before being let go following an ACL and MCL tear in 2022. Now, they roll the dice once again and hope for the best.

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