Joe Burrow struggles highlight the importance of solid pass protection

The Cincinnati Bengals aren’t putting Joe Burrow in a position to succeed.

Burrow certainly needs to work on having a better feel for the pass rush but the Bengals aren’t making things easier for him. Last season, the quarterback was sacked a staggering 32 times in just ten games, so what did Cincy do? They took half measures in order to reinforce their offensive line.

Cincinnati could have selected offensive tackle Penei Sewell with the fifth overall pick in 2021’s draft but opted to take LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase instead. They did draft Jackson Carman in the second round, but it felt like they could have done more.

Sure, Cincy signed Riley Reiff in free agency but he’s hardly their answer to their offensive line owes. To add insult to injury, Chase is having a hard time adjusting to the NFL, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic “He has endured a string of drops, on short and long passes, with another coming Sunday”. Dehner says the former Tiger has struggled in training camp, per Pro Football Talk.

"He has not shown as much separation as you’d hope, and the contested balls haven’t gone his way much, either. This is absolutely not to say he won’t start picking that up with more reps over the next month."

Simply, the Bengals did a done a poor job of fortifying their offensive line and in turn, ensure Burrow’s jersey will stay clean in 2021. The Jacksonville Jaguars surely want to avoid doing the same with rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence.