The debate about whom the Bengals needed to draft fifth overall last year was the perfect Rorschach test about how a roster should be built.
The Bengals had their choice of the two best tackles in the draft — but also the three best receivers.
The argument for taking a lineman was simple: to protect quarterback Joe Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick who had been sacked 32 aching times in just 10 rookie starts, for the next decade. A standout receiver, though, could be Burrow’s running mate for just as long.
The receiver never touches the ball if Burrow is on his backside. But all the protection in the world doesn’t matter if the receiver can’t get open.
The man they wound up choosing — receiver Ja’Marr Chase — laughed when he was reminded of the debate this week. Would the Bengals be playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday had they drafted Oregon tackle Penei Sewell instead?
“I ain’t here to answer that,” he said. “That’s not my job. They picked me and that’s what we got here. They must have made the right decision.”
They did. Chase’s 1,455 receiving yards were the most ever by a rookie. The only players with more this season were the Rams’ Cooper Kupp, the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson and the Packers’ Davante Adams.
Credit chemistry. Before sitting out the 2020 college season because of the coronavirus, Chase had a ridiculous 1,780 receiving yards for LSU’s title-winning team in 2019. His quarterback: Burrow.
“No matter what team drafted Ja’Marr, Ja’Marr woulda had a ton of success this year,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “But I do think him being able to hit the ground running from a chemistry standpoint and the relationship with Joe has probably allowed him to maximize his opportunities in Year 1.
“You don’t go through the getting-to-know-you process. .... they’ve already gotten that out of the way years ago.”
The Bengals’ blocking problem, though, haven’t gone away. Rather, their success has been in spite of it.
Burrow has been sacked 12 times this postseason, seven more times than Matthew Stafford did in as many games. The Titans sacked him nine times in the divisional round alone.
In the regular season, only two teams allowed more sacks than the Bengals’ 55. One of them is the Bears, who gave up a league-high 58.
Rookie quarterback Justin Fields was sacked on 11.8 percent of his dropbacks, the most in the NFL and the fifth-most in the league over the last 15 years among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts. The four names above provide foreboding clues about Fields’ direction. There are two legendary busts — Dwayne Haskins and JaMarcus Russell — as well as Robert Griffin III, who went from the No. 2 pick in the draft to a backup in three years.
None of this is lost on the Bears’ new general manager, Ryan Poles, a former offensive lineman who has vowed to bring nastiness back to the blocking scheme.
“If we need one of those enforcers, maybe that’s something we do — installing that guy that can establish that toughness of what’s acceptable and not acceptable,” he told the Sun-Times last month.
Left tackle Teven Jenkins was the rare Bears player who did, drawing a personal foul in December for scrapping with the Vikings after a play. Fields said after the game that he “love[d] the mindset,” even if it drew a flag.
“When your quarterback gets hit and he’s laying on the ground, I should see more guys running to pick him up and defend him on a consistent basis,” Poles said. “That’s your guy. You’re his security guard. If anyone touches him you should really have an attitude about it.
“I need to see more of that.”
The Bears’ line is full of question marks, except possibly guard Cody Whitehair. Jenkins, a second-round pick last year, was limited to two starts because of back surgery and Matt Nagy’s refusal to bench veteran Jason Peters. Fellow rookie Larry Borom was serviceable in his eight starts at right tackle. Pro Football Focus ranked Sam Mustipher 36th among NFL centers last year. Guard James Daniels, who was drafted to play center, is a free agent this offseason.
Poles won’t have the luxury of a premium draft pick, either, after his predecessor traded the first-round pick in a package for Fields.
The Bengals had the luxury to draft a blocker — and passed. They’re glad they did.
What would have happened had Chase gone somewhere else?
“It probably wouldn’t have been this outcome,” Chase said with a smile.
