The Cincinnati Bengals offensive line has been a topic of much discussion since the team drafted quarterback Joe Burrow in 2020.
Fortunately for Cincinnati, despite their issues that have led to them missing the postseason in three consecutive seasons, the offensive line appears to have been much improved in recent seasons. The expectation heading into the 2026 season is that Cincinnati will continue their starting five offensive linemen from last season.
However, as we move closer to the season, one former member of the Bengals offensive line has recently made news as he joined an AFC North division rival.
Ex-Bengals Starter Joins Baltimore Ravens
Hakeem Adeniji, who was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft and then started 15 games for the team over a three-year period, has signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
Adeniji will join former Bengals All-Pro Trey Hendrickson with the Baltimore Ravens. Unlike Hendrickson, Adeniji spent the previous few seasons away from Cincinnati, including starting a game for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2025 season.
Regarding Adeniji’s previous role with the Bengals, Bengals Wire’s Chris Roling wrote: “Adeniji was a nice success story for the Bengals after overcoming injuries to earn a depth role and a few spot starts, playoffs included.”
Meanwhile, FanSided’s Matt Fitzgerald did not appear to believe Adeniji will provide a boost to the Ravens’ offensive line, as he wrote: “While he does have undeniable big-game experience, Adeniji isn’t some, “we owned you!” AFC North revenge subplot with which the Ravens fans can dunk on the Who Dey faithful…
Did the Ravens not see enough of Adeniji in the division some years back to know signing him was a bad idea?”
Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Line
While their offensive line depth may still have room for improvement, Cincinnati’s offensive line is no longer the weak spot it used to be in the first years of Burrow’s tenure with the team. In fact, Pro Football Focus’ Gordon McGuinness listed the offensive line as a reason for optimism in 2026.
McGuinness wrote:
“The Bengals’ offensive line has been much maligned in recent years, but it performed at an average level in the second half of last season. From Weeks 10-18, just one starting offensive lineman earned a PFF overall grade below 60.0. That came after only one starter earned a PFF overall grade above 60.0 in the first half of the season.
The biggest improvement came in pass protection, where four of the Bengals’ five starters earned PFF pass-blocking grades of 74.0 or better. They shouldn’t be expected to field a top-five offensive line, but they have the potential to be an average unit in 2026.”
Regarding the depth at the position, director of player personnel Duke Tobin said, “I feel good about the depth of our offensive line. We have a lot of young guys that are about to take a real jump. You can only keep nine of them on your roster. That’s already a problem in my mind. Maybe you keep 10 and go light somewhere else. We’ve got guys that I believe in that, given a bigger role, can come on. I probably don’t agree with your question, I guess.”
Ex-Bengals Starter Signs With Division Rival Before Training Camp