Heading into his second NFL season, a former Clemson standout is in the mix for a starting spot on the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive line.
Jackson Carman experienced his share of struggles as a rookie last season after being selected by the Bengals in the second round (46th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft.
After being named a second-team All-American by CBS Sports and a second-team All-ACC honoree as a junior at Clemson in 2020, Carman dealt with a lot after declaring for the NFL Draft and being taken by the Bengals — he was recovering from back surgery, got moved from left tackle to right guard and fought to find his right playing weight, according to Bengals.com.
Overall, Carman received a 56.3 grade from Pro Football Focus as a rookie and lost his starting right guard job two times. However, based on recent comments from Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack, Carman appears to be making progress this offseason as he tries to take the next step in his development going into the 2022 season.
“He’s invested in himself on his approach this offseason,” Pollack said, via Bengals.com‘s Geoff Hobson. “I was proud of some of the choices he’s making to better himself as a professional in that area.”
Quinton Spain was the Bengals’ starting left guard last year, but he is now a free agent and it remains to be seen whether Cincinnati will re-sign him.
So, could the Bengals turn to Carman as their starting left guard next season? According to Pollack, he “is definitely a guy competing for that spot.”
“The good news is I’ve got some time before the first game,” Pollack said of his lineup. “I think there are still a lot of things in motion. It’s kind of hard to say. You have to be flexible. Jackson is definitely a guy competing for that spot. No question about it. His learning curve and growth he showed last year definitely puts him in position to be guy that’s going to compete for it.”
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
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