Amarius Mims showed rapid improvement during his second season as the starting right tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals. Mims will be returning, along with all four of the other starting offensive linemen in 2026, as well as the same offensive line coach who helped him make big strides last year.
Hometown: Cochran, Georgia
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Mims is entering the third season of his rookie contract after being drafted with the 17th overall selection during the 2024 draft. He signed a four-year, $15.3 million contract. The Bengals will also have a fifth-year option they can exercise next offseason. If they exercise that option as expected, Amarius wouldn’t hit free agency until 2029.
Amarius was a 5-star recruit out of high school. Ultimately, choosing to sign with Georgia. When healthy, he showed flashes of a dominant offensive tackle in college.
However, he was only able to play 803 total snaps for the Bulldogs. The Cincinnati Bengals took a bit of a risk drafting him in the top 20, but that move has paid off well early in his career.
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In his first season with Cincinnati, he played in more snaps in one season than he had during his entire college career with 835 snaps. He finished the season with a 60.8 pass-block grade and a 52.6 run-block grade as a rookie. Those numbers improved to 66.6 pass block and 64.8 run block grades in 2025. The film looked even better than the grades, in my opinion.
From Weeks 12-18, Mims earned an 81.0 overall Pro Football Focus grade. During that stretch, he allowed zero sacks, one QB hit, and 10 hurries.
If he can play at that level across an entire season, then Mims should find himself mentioned among the best right tackles in football.
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Mims is expected to take another jump in his performance as a returning starter in 2026. He will have the veteran Dalton Risner back beside him, which should help him tremendously. He had played beside several right guard options prior to Risner settling in to the position during the second half of the 2025 season.
It wouldn’t be a bit surprising to see Mims end up as a Pro Bowl and an All-Pro next season. He has the size, athleticism, and football IQ to be one of the best offensive tackles in the entire league.
