OnePlus 8T (kebab): upgrade from /e/OS 4.0 A14 to 4.0 A16 – should the new recovery.img be flashed first?

You already have the custom dtbo.img and vbmeta.img flashed on your device because you already did the /e/OS install in the past.

So from my point if vue,

[HOWTO] Upgrade my /e/OS to major Android version without loosing /data

you can have a go upgrading simply choosing local update from the device → settings → system updater → 3dot menu → local update

This will first replace the current recovery, then install the /e/ build…