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The Cincinnati Bengals have confirmed fourth-round rookie Cordell Volson has pulled off the minor upset and won the starting job at left guard.
A fan favorite from the moment the team drafted him, Volson’s consistency and upward trajectory pushed him ahead of 2021 second-rounder Jackson Carman in the minds of coaches.
“He ascended the whole training camp period. He played well, practiced well,” offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He continually got better. He showed the things we want to see from a starting guard for us. He’s tough, he’s physical, he’s dependable … He’s earned that job.”
Volson was steady in the preseason and didn’t play in the finale while Carman soaked up most of the snaps. But that was initially easy to write off as the coaches giving Carman a full shot after missing critical snaps in earlier games.
Turns out the coaches just weren’t exaggerating when they stressed the value of consistency. It’s a major setback for Carman after missing out on the job last year, but a big chance for the rookie.
Volson joins the three free agents — La’el Collins, Alex Cappa and Ted Karras — as new starters on the line in front of Joe Burrow.
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