Frank Assessment: Bengals O-Line Coach Pollack Details Good, Bad He’s Seen Through 3 Weeks

CINCINNATI – After one practice without rookie tackle Amarius Mims, Cincinnati Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack took stock of what he’s seen so far from his charges and what he wants to see in the coming weeks.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Mims has a pectoral injury and will miss “several weeks.”

Taylor left the door open for Mims to return in time for the season opener, saying, “Nothing is off the table,” but he didn’t want to wade into a more specific timetable discussion.

Bengals O-Line Coach Heaps Praise on Amarius Mims, Trent Brown

Mims’ play has been one of the biggest storylines through the first three weeks of training camp, and both Taylor and Pollack heaped praise on the first-rounder.

Bengals rookie first-round pick Amarius Mims suffered a pec injury in Saturday night's game and will miss "several weeks."

More on his timeline, and the team’s long list of rookie first round picks that have missed games due to injuries:https://t.co/wogphOJ5tv

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) August 12, 2024

“He’s been a joy to coach because he’s so coachable,” Pollack said. “He’s soaking it all up. You can almost go overboard because he’s soaking it up from me, he’s soaking it up from Trent (Brown), he’s soaking it up from Orlando (Brown Jr.), he’s soaking it up from (Alex) Cappa, soaking it up from Ted (Karras). His cup is overflowing because he’s got so much information coming at him.

“He’s as tough as nails,” Pollack added. “He’s so long, he’s so gifted athletically that he can play on the line in a football position and still move his feet. He’s got great length, great power, and anchor. He’s been impressive.”

Trent Brown made his debut in team drills today after missing the first two weeks of camp on the Non-Football Injury list.

Pollack was even more effusive of Brown than he was of Mims, probably because he knows how important Brown’s role becomes with the loss of Mims for a few weeks.

With 26 days left before the season opener against the New England Patriots, Pollack said he’s confident Brown will be ready despite his late start to camp.

“What do we have, a month before the opener?” he asked. “He’ll be ready then. He’s not ready tomorrow. He’s got a whole month, and he looked pretty f–king good today for his first day in team.”

READ MORE: Bengals Training Camp Report Day 13 — Mims’ Injury Shuffles O-Line

With Mims out and D’Ante Smith working his way back from a knee injury, Cody Ford handled the second team reps at right tackle today.

Taylor said they still view Ford as an interior lineman, but he was the swing tackle last year, though his services weren’t needed with the five offensive linemen starting all 17 games.

Pollack said Ford looked “pretty f–king good” today as well.

The bigger switch was Jaxson Kirkland supplanting Jackson Carman as the left tackle with the second team.

Kirkland, a 2023 undrafted free agent, played tackle in college but has worked almost exclusively at guard with the Bengals, until today.

“He’s had a great camp,” Pollack said. “He’s got to hone some of his technique and (be) a little bit quicker with his hands at guard, counter moves, and all that kind of stuff with his feet. But he’s working on that stuff, and he’s doing really well.

“He’s got a mean streak,” Pollack continued. “He doesn’t take s–t from anybody.”

As for Carman, who has struggled to earn playing time in his four years since the Bengals drafted him in the second round, Saturday night was close to rock bottom. He was called for four penalties — three holds and one false start.

TruMedia preseason stats go back to 2017.
In the last seven-plus seasons, there have been 5 players to commit at least 4 penalties in a game. pic.twitter.com/E3retWkSrp

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) August 13, 2024

“He struggled a little bit. He knows that,” Pollack said. “He’s working hard on some stuff to get his demeanor back in place to be more consistent with that to give him a chance to compete, so he’s working hard. Kind of tough to be a hometown kid and get drafted by a team here. He’s got some stuff he’s working through.”

Also of note was the fact that Pollack has rookie seventh-round pick Matt Lee take some snaps at center, with Trey Hill sliding to left guard.

Lee has mostly been working with the third team in camp, but he showed some positive play Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“In the game, he had some good things. He had some bad things he’s got to clean up, too,” Pollack said. “He can get a little top-heavy, but he showed good anchor. He showed some stoutness. He plays with good pad leverage. He’s showing some stuff. We’ll see where he ends up these next two weeks.”

Also noteworthy was rookie undrafted free agent Eric Miller ascending to second-team reps at right guard with Ford sliding over to tackle.

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And D’Ante Smith, who is in the mix to be the fourth tackle if he can beat out Carman, returned to practice after missing a couple of weeks with a knee injury.

Smith didn’t participate in team drills, but it sounds as though he could do that Thursday at the joint practice in Chicago.

“He was limited today in individual and did 1-on-1s and looked damn good,” Pollack said. “He’s progressing nice. He was on the shelf a little bit with his knee. So he’s working through some stuff. I appreciate him showing some toughness coming out there. We’re gonna need him this weekend.”