PFF picks a different Bengals OL as the team’s 2026 breakout player

As far as breakout candidates go, third-year right tackle Amarius Mims has gotten several picks to be just that for the Bengals this season.

However, in Pro Football Focus' breakout candidate for all 32 NFL teams , they listed a different offensive lineman: Second-year left guard Dylan Fairchild.

The Bengals drafted guard Dylan Fairchild with the 81st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the former Georgia Bulldog started 15 games as a rookie. Over the final eight games of the season, his 74.3 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked first among rookie guards and fourth among all rookie offensive linemen. He is capable of developing into the Bengals' best offensive lineman by the end of the 2026 season.