CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Dylan Fairchild in April with the expectation that he would be their starting left guard when the season opens on Sept. 7 in Cleveland.
During the first two weeks of training camp, Fairchild has looked every bit like a starter.
Fairchild and the rest of Cincinnati's expected starters should get at least one quarter of action during Thursday's preseason opener at Philadelphia.
“If you’re gonna be in there with the ones, you better be up to par. So we better just expedite that growth and learning curve," offensive line coach Scott Peters said about Fairchild. “For most of the guys from college, it’s like they got to forget about what you did there. It like two different games, checkers and chess. Don’t go out there like a meathead and try to head bang somebody because it won’t work. So he’s done a really nice job getting those things corrected."
Fairchild started 14 games at Georgia last season and was an Associated Press All-America second-team selection.
Fairchild was a teammate of Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims at Georgia from 2021-23. The consensus among scouts during the draft process was that he was a physical pass protector, which was sorely needed after Joe Burrow was sacked 48 times last season, tied for fourth most in the league.
Fairchild — who admitted he is still adjusting to the speed of the pro game and refining his footwork — has embraced the expectations for him to contribute immediately.
“I love being here to provide value for this team. They believed in me and I believe in them,” Fairchild said. “Now, it’s us together working for one common goal. It’s just continuously improving. You better come here with your head on straight every single day because if you don’t, you get exposed. The stakes are shown."
Lucas Patrick signed with the Bengals in free agency and is penciled in as the starter at right guard. Of Patrick's 64 career NFL starts, 37 have come at guard with 17 on the right side. He started 11 games at left guard for New Orleans last season.
Cordell Volson, who is entering his fourth season, has 51 starts in three seasons with the Bengals, but struggled at left guard. Cody Ford offers versatility at either tackle or guard.
In addition to the guard spots, right tackle is a concern as Mims has battled a wide array of injuries since being drafted in the first round last year. Rookie Jalen Rivers, taken in the fifth round in April's draft, should get plenty of snaps on Thursday.
Coach Zac Taylor has stressed for the past eight months that his starters will receive plenty of playing time in the preseason in order to try and prevent another slow start. Cincinnati was 9-8 last season but dropped four of its first five games.
Taylor said on Tuesday the first unit could play into the second quarter if there is a long drive on either side of the ball in the first 15 minutes.
“We don’t have this targeted for our biggest play time for all of our guys. We picked (Aug. 18 at) Washington to be able to do that,” Taylor said. “I think just those 11 guys being in the huddle on both sides of the ball and all the communication that’s got to occur. It’s just a good opportunity for those guys to get some additional reps.”
