Time is running out for Bengals starter to prove himself

The second-year leap is synonymous with most NFL players who last a long time as starters. It's commonly referred to as the point where players make the most improvement as they're no longer wide-eyed rookies, and have a taste for what the NFL demands.

The Cincinnati Bengals got that from players like Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, Logan Wilson, and several more key contributors on the roster. 

They're not getting it from left guard Cordell Volson, and it's been a letdown. 

Volson isn't here by any sort of accident. The Bengals selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the hope that he could compete for playing time right away. The offensive line was in need of a new left guard following their run to the Super Bowl, and Volson ended up as good of an option as any they had entering the Summer.

By showing up in practice and out-performing Jackson Carman, Volson was named the Week 1 starter at his new position for the 2022 season and hasn't looked back. No one on the entire Bengals' offense took more snaps throughout the entire 19-game schedule that included another trip to the AFC Championship game. When most of the o-line started breaking down to injuries, Volson remained as durable as possible.

But durability is only part of the job, and Volson was just borderline serviceable in terms of his actual blocking performance. He would play too high in pass protection, overly aggressive in run blocking, and general awareness was lacking consistency.

All things that weren't unforeseen for a 6-7 rookie who played at an FCS program for several years, and all things that were expected to be improved upon after a long rookie season.

Part of the letdown has to do with expectations. Players such as Orlando Brown Jr. and Ted Karras spoke so highly of Volson this offseason, and the fact that the Bengals brought in no one to challenge him as the starter spoke volumes about their collective confidence in his progression.

"Wait until you guys take a look at this guy this year. He's put on about 15 pounds of muscle," Karras said of Volson back in June. "He's a tank man. He's 6-6 330. You know, does all the right things, has all the tools you want in an NFL guard. I mean honestly, he could probably be a five-position player, but left guard is just a perfect role for him, and we expect a big jump out of him."

Unfortunately, Volson's tape in pass protection looks no better so far in 2023, which is where they've needed growth the most. He's still losing ground too often, and his hand placement has not shown enough progress.

These issues are backed up by the numbers as well. Pro Football Focus has graded Volson out at 27.0 in pass blocking, by far the lowest for any Bengals offensive lineman, and the third-worst out of 138 o-linemen with 220+ snaps taken this year. That's very close to every starting lineman in the NFL through nine weeks.

The only aspect of Volson's game that has improved has been penalties. He's been flagged just once this year compared to the seven infractions he was responsible for last year. A penalty is often just as detrimental as a sack, so this progression is a definite positive for the second-year player. It's not enough to counter out everything else.

If Volson wants to keep his starting gig in 2024, he'll need the second half of this season to look miles better than the first half.