The Cincinnati Bengals were locked in on Tacario Davis all throughout the NFL Draft process, and his rare combination of size, speed, and ball skills make it easy to see why.
We're 34 days away from the Cincinnati
Bengals' preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles
. As we inch closer to the regular season, we're profiling one member of the Bengals' 90-man roster up until final cuts. Check out previous player profiles here
.
The next player in the series is the youngest starter on the entire offense.
Age: 23
Year: 2nd
Position: Guard
College: Georgia
Jersey Number: 63
Dylan Fairchild was selected with the No. 81 pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Bengals. Prior to the NFL, Fairchild played four years of college ball at Georgia (2021-24) where he started 24 of the 34 games he played. He came off the bench during his first two seasons and emerged as a starter in 2023, playing both right guard (next to right tackle Amarius Mims
) and left guard. He stayed at LG for all of 2024, earning second-team All-American and first-team All-SEC honors.
Cincinnati declared Fairchild its starting LG right after he was drafted. He did indeed start 15 of 17 games, as he was sidelined with a knee injury for two weeks. After returning to the field for the final 10 games, he posted the 20th-best Pass Blocking Efficiency out of 60 starting qualifying guards, per Pro Football Focus, during that stretch.
Fairchild is entering the second year of his four-year, $6,421,180 rookie contract with the Bengals. His base salary for 2026 is $1,131,872, which is also his cash figure for the year. When adding on his signing bonus proration of $327,487, his salary cap hit for the season is $1,459,359.
Cincinnati's o-line ascending out the pit of mediocrity heavily relies on Fairchild's continued progression. He gained his footing in the second half of his rookie season, and the Bengals need even more from him as a second-year starter.
Roster odds: 100%
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Bengals Player Profile: Dylan Fairchild can determine how much Cincinnati's offensive line grows
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