The Cincinnati Bengals will likely take an OL in draft to help Joe Burrow

There’s been some speculation lately that the Cincinnati Bengals could select former LSU football wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase in the 2021 NFL Draft to reunite him with Joe Burrow.

While it would certainly be fun to see those two playing alongside each other again, it wouldn’t be a wise move.

Burrow missed part of his rookie season because the Bengals couldn’t protect him.

It doesn’t matter who Burrow has at wide receiver if he doesn’t have time to let plays develop. That’s why selecting Chase with the No. 5 overall pick would be a complete waste.

But fortunately for Burrow, it appears that Cincinnati won’t be considering Chase (or any other wide receiver).

The plan is to protect Joe Burrow

New Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack made it abundantly clear this week that protecting Burrow is their first priority.

“We’ve got a good, young quarterback,” said Pollack (via the Cincinnati Enquirer). “We’ve got to do everything we can to protect him. That’s Line 1.”

In order to protect Burrow better, the Bengals need more talent along the offensive line.

That pretty much points to taking an offensive lineman with the No. 5 pick.

Cincinnati should be in a pretty good position to land a top offensive lineman. Oregon offensive lineman Penei Sewell is someone who could fall to them. There’s also Northwestern offensive lineman Rashawn Slater (who is versatile and can play anywhere on the offensive line).

The Bengals are building their future around Burrow. They’re counting on the former LSU standout being the guy that can make the franchise relevant again.

It makes sense that they’d want to invest in making sure he doesn’t go down again with a season-ending injury.