Cincinnati Bengals right tackle Riley Reiff has managed to fly under the radar so far.
Reiff projects to be a big upgrade on the right side of the offensive line after coming over via free agency to replace the now-cut Bobby Hart.
But that big upgrade has been a bit swept aside in the hype department as the broad outlook focuses on Joe Burrow’s rehab and fifth-overall pick Ja’Marr Chase, if not the big money spent on someone like Trey Hendrickson, too.
But NFL.com’s Adam Rank isn’t overlooking it — he’s projecting Reiff to be the team MVP in 2021:
“Signing Reiff this offseason was a huge move for the Bengals. He’s a big upgrade over his predecessor, Bobby Hart. Some of the Bengals’ moves this offseason were kind of like the equivalent of replacing an older couch with a newer one that is basically the same as the old one. But adding Reiff was like getting a TV for the bathroom. The sort of thing you didn’t know you needed until you actually did it. Readers who are also parents know what I mean.”
Maybe Reiff won’t be as great as a TV in the bathroom, but if he plays a big part in making sure Burrow never gets hurt again, it’ll go down as one of the low-key best signings of free agency.
That said, the Bengals have plenty of possible MVPs to list, highlighted by Burrow and Chase. Maybe it even turns out to be Jonah Williams at the left tackle spot.
Either way, it sure doesn’t hurt to see some national optimism for the Bengals and a spotlight on an upgrade that deserves more attention.
