The Cincinnati Bengals offensive line has improved over the offseason with the signing of left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., but that moved Jonah Williams away from his position on the left side of the line.
After the move to right tackle, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report thinks Williams is the Bengals’ most likely breakout player candidate for the 2023 season.
Here’s some of what he had to say about Williams’ upcoming season:
Williams’ path to starting on the right side is clear, as 2022 starter La’el Collins continues to recover from a torn ACL.
While Williams won’t entirely avoid pass-blocking duties on the right side—teams simply don’t line up their top pass-rushers on one side anymore—he’ll have a real opportunity to break out as a power run-blocker on that end of the formation this season.
There was a time this offseason when it seemed unlikely that Williams would still be in a Bengals uniform this year after he requested a trade, but if the position change turns into a huge improvement for him, it would be a great outcome for everyone involved.
Williams has been adjusting to right tackle but hasn’t played there since his freshman year at Alabama, so there is some history at the position but none at the NFL level quite yet.
