Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked a whopping 70 times between the regular season and postseason, but coach Zac Taylor says the offensive line doesn’t deserve as much blame as it’s getting.
Taylor said the whole offense has to improve in 2022, and that starts with Taylor’s own play calling.
“We just have to be better as a unit,” Taylor said, via Bengals.com. “I think that we’ll just look to improve the team any way that we can and not specific to one necessary group. The offensive line helped us get to the Super Bowl. They gave us opportunities to go win the Super Bowl. Everything always falls on them statistically, but that’s not always the case. There are play calls that could be better to help put them in a better position. There is a lot that plays into all that. They were an offensive line that helped us get to the Super Bowl and gave us opportunities to win and I think they should be commended for that.”
It’s to Taylor’s credit that he’s willing to take some of the blame onto his own shoulders, and he’s right that Burrow’s sacks aren’t just on the offensive line. But there’s little doubt that improving the offensive line will be a priority for the Bengals this offseason. Cincinnati has plenty of cap space and a full complement of draft picks in 2022, and it will be a surprise if the Bengals don’t bring in multiple new starters.
