For Cincinnati Bengals fans, few sights are more reassuring than Joe Burrow having time to throw. Amarius Mims is doing his part to make that happen, and his work is getting national attention.
In his Quarter-Season NFL Awards Rankings, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell placed Mims third in the race for NFL Protector of the Year, behind San Francisco tackle Trent Williams and Denver guard Quinn Meinerz. Barnwell described Mims as “arguably the best pass-protecting right tackle in the league.”
According to Barnwell’s four-game analysis, Mims faced pass rushers one-on-one at the third-highest rate in the NFL. Despite that workload, he allowed just half a sack and two hurries on 169 pass-rush snaps.
Those numbers are important for an offense built around Burrow’s ability to find the open receiver. As Barnwell explained, Burrow wants all five eligible receivers available on passing routes. When Cincinnati provides extra protection, that help usually goes to Orlando Brown Jr. on the left side, leaving Mims responsible for his assignment on the right.
Whenever Mims handles that assignment, the Bengals have more freedom to use their tight ends and running backs as receiving options. This gives Burrow another place to go with the football and gives the defense another player to answer to.
Mims also ranks 12th in run-block win rate in Barnwell’s assessment, providing another encouraging measure of his early performance. But there is still a long way to go. Ranking based on four games is an early checkpoint, and maintaining that level throughout the season is the next challenge.
But this is the kind of development Cincinnati needs. An offense with Burrow under center depends on blockers being able to hang on when defenses know a pass is coming. And, at least through the first four games, Mims has done exactly that. It’s still early, but the Bengals already have a presence at right tackle that belongs in the conversation with the NFL’s best.