On one hand, the Cincinnati Bengals are lucky to have franchise quarterback Joe Burrow under contract through 2029. On the other hand, they must keep the two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year off the ground as much as possible moving forward, as he's already had three injury-shortened seasons since getting drafted in 2020.

Luckily for the Bengals, the offensive line improved throughout the 2025 season despite their 6-11 record, per Cincinnati.com's Pat Brennan.

"The line appeared to struggle early in 2025, allowing three sacks per game on average through five games," he wrote. "The turf toe injury sustained by Burrow in Week 2 that required surgery and threatened the rest of his season certainly turned up the heat on the group. [Jake] Browning fared poorly in starts through Week 5, and the line's play contributed to that, too."

"That's when the turnaround started," he continued. "The Bengals' offensive line dropped from allowing an average of three sacks per game to just 1.5 over the next six games, started by [Joe] Flacco."

The line also allowed fewer than two sacks per game over the final 12 and ranked 14th in football with 2.1 allowed per game throughout the entire season. The group was above-average, but there's still room for improvement.

The primary starters for Cincinnati were left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., left guard Dylan Fairchild, center Ted Karras, right guard Dalton Risner, and right tackle Amarius Mims. All of those players are under contract for next year except for Risner, who played his first season with the Bengals in 2025 after spending his first six years with the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings.

Should the Bengals run it back with the same group or look for upgrades?

Re-signing Risner and going into next season with the same players wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would be risky. There's no guarantee that the unit will pick up where it left off and/or stay healthy.

Adding depth is the safest option. In addition to Risner, the Bengals could sign a free-agent tackle like Braden Smith or Jonah Williams, or a guard like James Daniels. Smith has a market value AAV of $13.5 million, while Williams is at $10.3 million and Daniels is at $6.7 million, per Spotrac.

Getting one of the premium offensive line prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft would also help. Tackles include Alabama's Kadyn Proctor and Utah's Spencer Fano, and interior linemen include Miami's Francis Mauigoa and Auburn's Connor Lew. Cincinnati owns the No. 10 overall pick as well as Nos. 41, 72, and 110.

It may not be easy to re-sign Risner, get another free agent, and draft a premium prospect, but Cincinnati must cover all its bases as it tries to maintain Burrow's health. If the star signal-caller doesn't stay on the field, the squad has no chance to win a ring.