Cincinnati Bengals rookie offensive tackle Amarius Mims gutted through a broken hand to play in his team’s season-closing win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now, Mims turns toward his second year with some major goals as he enters 2025 as the assured starter at right tackle.
“Just watching all my games. Come back even better,” Mims said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I don’t put a good or a bad on my rookie year. I just put there’s a lot I need to fix and I’ll continue to fix.”
Mims appeared to have a line on starting as a rookie over Trent Brown before an injury setback before the season. He eventually worked his way onto the field though and seemed to reach for some of that high ceiling that came with his draft stock.
Along the way, Mims had some memorable performances, including combining with others to pitch a shutout on Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt in the finale.
If Mims can stay on the field, there’s no reason to think he can’t keep ascending, which would indeed put him in the conversation among the conference’s best.
