CINCINNATI -- Injuries affected much of what the Cincinnati Bengals could accomplish in 2014.

Still, they had to play around those who were hurt. As a result, several backups, even a couple of rookies, saw more playing time than they probably were expected to get. As we continue reviewing the season, we are spending the next few days briefly analyzing the snap-count percentages for individual players at specific positions.

Click here for analysis of other positions. We continue with the offensive linemen.

Attrition throughout the team, largely the product of all the injuries, forced the Bengals into fielding a young team. The ailments helped propel rookies Jeremy Hill and Ryan Hewitt into starring roles on the offense, for example.

In Russell Bodine's case, though, it was simply a lack of depth at the center position that vaulted him from fourth-round draft pick into every-down starter. Per ESPN Stats & Information, he was part of every Bengals offensive play except for one this season. The same happened with veteran left guard Clint Boling, who saw action at both guard and right tackle. Boling, who hits free agency next month, had to showcase his versatility as the Bengals worked to overcome the loss of tackle Andre Smith.

Thanks to a season-ending torn triceps injury in Week 12, and an ankle injury that flared up briefly earlier in the season, Smith was limited to just 458 plays. Marshall Newhouse was his primary replacement, but performance issues forced the Bengals into tinkering with putting Boling at the right tackle late in the season, too. As the Bengals realized they were better off with Boling on the interior, they signed long-time offensive tackle Eric Winston. It's not surprising Winston had the third-fewest snaps on the team because of his late arrival, but it is rather stunning that an off-the-street free agent played 172 snaps across the final four weeks of the regular season, and was effective.

Winston allowed one sack in the five games he played. It came in the playoff loss in Indianapolis.

Kevin Zeitler's snaps were considerably lower than he would have liked. He was only part of 714 plays because of calf issues that popped up two different times. He played in 12 games as a result, with Mike Pollak replacing him whenever he missed time. The veteran backup was in for more than 400 plays.

Despite the injury woes and fairly regular shuffling, the Bengals' offensive line was arguably one of the better units in the league. The group ranked fourth in the pass-blocking grades given by Pro Football Focus, and was third in sacks allowed with just 23.