CINCINNATI — Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims was praised this week by coaches because as the year has progressed, they hardly notice him on the field.
It’s hard to believe a player listed at 6-foot-8, 350 pounds could go unnoticed but that’s the level of play he was showing posting clean sheets like the one in Tennessee and in the first half of Sunday’s 24-6 victory against the Cleveland Browns.
Then, when he injured his ankle and the decision of whether or not he could return to the game was borderline, offensive line coach Frank Pollack certainly noticed Mims. The two got in each other’s faces in a heated exchange that included Mims being held back by inactive teammate Orlando Brown Jr. and others.
Amarius Mims returns at RT.
Just had a heated conversation with OL coach Frank Pollack. Orlando Brown Jr stepped between them as Mims put his helmet on to enter the game. #Bengals | @WLWT pic.twitter.com/I0bGvnqjkL
— Olivia Ray (@OliviaRayTV) December 22, 2024
Mims didn’t return and Devin Cochran took over at right tackle with the offense struggling to protect quarterback Joe Burrow.
What came next served as one of many data points highlighting Mims’ growth and maturity and just how important he’s quickly become to keeping their playoff hopes alive.
“This game is a game of passion and love,” Mims said. “Everything is not going to be pretty on the sideline. We are good, though. We love each other. It’s football. It happens. Emotions kind of blew over but we are all good.”
Mims detailed a conversation about his hope to put extra tape on the ankle and go back in the game but admits he didn’t want to jeopardize protecting Burrow if he wasn’t 100 percent.
“The game was a battle,” Mims said. “You got to fight through some stuff … We all get injured, we all are. But it was a coach’s decision. And we made the best decision possible. We went with Dev.”
Mims aired his opinion for the entire stadium to see one week after heated sideline exchanges were a centerpiece of conversation with Burrow and coach Zac Taylor in Tennessee.
“That’s football, man,” Taylor said. “It’s not all easy. Sometimes you just got to work through that stuff. We’re good.”
Mims found Pollack and worked through the problem. The first-round pick, viewed as a raw prospect with only 802 college snaps, has been viewed as a feather in Pollack’s cap considering the fast development into a cornerstone bookend on the offensive line. This is among constant criticism over the lack of development in young offensive linemen in recent years from Jackson Carman (cut) to Cordell Volson (benched) to a host of young picks not contributing.
There was no sense the relationship was souring between Pollack and his star pupil, at least not through the eyes of the rookie. Despite the scene on the field, there was no residual animosity once he cooled down in the locker room.
“We have been through a lot since I have been here,” Mims said. “He’s one of the guys that stood on the table and got me drafted here. I’m forever grateful for him. Our relationship is great. We are good. We are just both in the moment. Tempers kind of flared a little on the sideline. We had a good conversation on the sideline, we hugged after that, we are good, man.”
Now, the Bengals won’t be happy going forward if Mims can’t return next week against the Broncos. Their injured/reserve and inactive lists are littered with offensive tackle injuries. Trent Brown, D’Ante Smith and Jaxson Kirkland are all on IR and starter Brown has only played once in the last seven games with a fibula injury.
Cochran, who entered for Mims, made his NFL debut after two yeras on the practice squad last week in Tennessee when Cody Ford was out with the flu. Cochran had to flip to the other side on Sunday. He entered after the first drive of the third quarter when the decision to sit Mims went down. The Bengals only mustered 97 yards of offense in the second half while Burrow took three sacks and a forced fumble.
Taylor laughed a little when asked about the challenges presented by going down yet another lineman against the Browns.
“It’s a great front,” Taylor said. “It’s a great defense, so yeah, when you lose a starting lineman, that affects you.”
The reluctance to expound on the topic told the story almost as much as the lack of production. They can only help in so many spots. The offense utilized two-tight end sets and kept Drew Sample planted in front of Myles Garrett often on the left side. The idea of now having to help Cochran on the right was too much. This already with Volson and Cappa struggling to consistently protect up the middle, the offense turned almost non-functional.
Luckily for the Bengals, the game was largely in hand and Cleveland’s offense was dealing with its own deficiencies. But when one of the league’s top pass rushes lines up on the opposite side this line, it will be trouble.
Enter next Saturday’s game with playoff life hanging in the balance against the Broncos, currently third in the NFL in sack percentage and one of the top defenses in the NFL.
Taylor didn’t want to commit to any answer at this point.
“It was kind of hit or miss whether he could go back in there,” Taylor said. “We’ll see where he is at tomorrow.”
Mims clearly sounded optimistic considering he thought he could return Sunday, but that doesn’t mean anything when it comes to next week. Plus, Brown is getting closer to a potential return but there is still no certainty he will be able to take back over at left tackle. He hasn’t gone on injured reserve yet with the hope he can work back.
Both will be in the spotlight during the week on their rehab toward Saturday in what could determine how that game unfolds.
For now, they have a win, shared a hug and Mims another data point in his maturation as a rookie.
“We got the win, that’s all that matters,” Mims said. “I’m happy.”
(Photo: Katie Stratman / Imagn Images)
