Former Clemson offensive tackle Jackson Carman has joined a new NFL team, signing with the Miami Dolphins practice squad this week. Carman was waived by the Cincinnati Bengals in August but quickly found a landing spot in Miami.
The Bengals had selected Carman in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft (46th overall). Over his three-year stint with Cincinnati, the 6-foot-5, 322-pound lineman appeared in 29 games, including eight starts. Last season, his playing time was more limited, as he saw action in just two games, primarily on special teams, while being inactive or listed as a reserve for much of the year.
Carman’s professional career follows an impressive collegiate run at Clemson from 2018-2020. The Ohio native played 1,934 snaps across 40 games and started in each of the last 27 contests of his college career. A two-time All-ACC selection, Carman was instrumental in leading Clemson to multiple ACC titles and College Football Playoff appearances during his time with the Tigers.
A former high Bengals draft pick finds a new home.
Former Cincinnati Bengals second-round pick Jackson Carman finally has a new home in the NFL.
Carman has joined the Miami Dolphins, as announced by the team there in a wider statement revealing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will head to injured reserve after his latest concussion.
A second-round pick by the Bengals in 2021, Carman was a colossal flop despite several legitimate chances to seize a starting job across multiple seasons. He battled conditioning and performance issues before getting demoted to fourth string this preseason and waived alongside 11 other players after the finale.
The Dolphins added a former second-round pick to the mix on the offensive line.
The Miami Dolphins added offensive tackle Jackson Carman to their practice squad Tuesday and cut ties with veteran wide receiver Robbie Chosen to make room.
Carman, 24, was picked in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals and spent the first three seasons of his career with the team. The Bengals waived Carman in August.
The Clemson alum made six starts as a rookie, but appeared in only five regular season games in the last two years. However, he was called into action during the Bengals’ postseason run in 2022 when Jonah Williams dealt with an injury and made two starts at left tackle.
Chosen, 31, spent the 2023 season with the Dolphins and reunited with the franchise last month after he was released by the San Francisco 49ers. With several injuries at the wide receiver position, Chosen was elevated to the active roster for each of the Dolphins’ first two games. He caught only one pass for five yards on four targets.
The Bengals ended the Jackson Carman era…and this says it all.
The Cincinnati Bengals officially cut ties with former second-round draft pick Jackson Carman when they cut the roster down to 53 last week.
The Bengals took him in the 2021 NFL draft with the 46th overall pick and despite being given the chance to start in six games in his rookie season, he never was able to work his way into consistent playing time.
Jay Morrison, the Bengals beat reporter for Pro Football Network, posted a graphic that listed every second-round pick from the same year Carman was drafted, along with how many games those players have started in the NFL, and it didn’t look good for Carman.
He was 26th of the 32 players taken in the round with the six games he started in three seasons, ahead of only Day Odeyingbo, who started five games, Kelvin Joseph, who started three games, and four players tied with zero starts. They are the only seven players to start fewer than 10 games.
Leading the list are Creed Humphrey with 51 games started, Tre’von Moehrig with 47 games started and Landon Dickerson, who has started 46 games.
Whatever Carman’s problems might have been on the field, Morrison showed how bad that draft pick ended up being for the Bengals in retrospect.
We look at seven players the Titans should pursue.
Tuesday marked the deadline for each NFL team to cut their roster down to 53 players.
That means every team had difficult decisions to make, including the Tennessee Titans. The Titans’ final roster includes surprises and omits a few players that many fans and analysts have predicted to be on it.
For example, the team’s initial 53-man roster includes five tight ends, a whopping seven inside linebackers, and just four corners and three running backs.
Of course, this roster will change again before the regular season kicks off. With every team cutting 30+ players, the Titans will see if any of those players fit on their roster.
Now, let’s identify seven players who were released or waived who could fit on this Titans’ roster.
Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
D’Onta Foreman, RB
D”Onta Foreman was released by the Cleveland Browns, and the veteran should interest the Titans. Foreman impressed as a member of the Titans in 2021, taking 133 carries for 566 yards.
Since that time, Foreman has spent a season with the Carolina Panthers and a season with the Chicago Bears. The veteran had hoped to latch on with the Browns but was unable to secure a spot on the final roster.
The Titans only kept three RBs on the roster after Hassan Haskins and Jabari Small failed to impress. With Julius Chestnut as the lone backup option, the team should consider bringing in Foreman to bolster the depth.
Carl Lawson #58 of the New York Jets. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Carl Lawson, EDGE
Carl Lawson could not crack the Dallas Cowboys’ roster, and the veteran will once again hit the open market. Lawson once signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the New York Jets, but injuries have prevented the defender from being consistent.
In 2023, Lawson was limited to six games and accumulated just five tackles. However, he had a productive pass-rushing season as recently as 2022, when he racked up seven sacks.
The Titans only kept four edge rushers on the final roster, so Lawson would provide a solid depth addition. Shane Ray was not one of the edge rushers kept around, so a veteran presence would be nice.
Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback CJ Henderson (23) and wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. (10). Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
CJ Henderson, CB
The Titans gave up on one former first-round cornerback, so why not take a gamble on another? The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted CJ Henderson in the top ten of the 2020 NFL draft, and his career has not gone according to plan thus far.
Henderson was traded to the Carolina Panthers after just one season in Jacksonville, and the corner’s play never lived up to his draft pedigree. However, the Titans only kept four corners, and a young corner like Henderson may fit in perfectly behind L’Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie.
Cincinnati Bengals guard Jackson Carman (79). Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jackson Carman, OL
Jackson Carman is another highly-drafted player who has disappointed to this point in the NFL. Carman was a second-round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2021 NFL Draft but has only started in six games.
The Bengals cut bait on Carman, but the Titans could be interested. On the initial roster, the team kept John Ojukwu and Jaelyn Duncan as backup tackles, which shouldn’t inspire much confidence.
Perhaps Brian Callahan saw enough during his time with Carman to take a chance.
Chicago Bears defensive tackle Travis Bell (73). Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Travis Bell, DT
Travis Bell is another former Bengal who should interest the Titans. The defensive lineman was a seventh-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears last year but has already played on three different rosters.
However, Bell is still an intriguing prospect. The 6’0″, 310-pound DT was the first player to be drafted out of Kennesaw State and flashed preseason ability as a run-stuffer and pass-rusher.
The Titans do not have much depth on the defensive line. Keondre Coburn is the only reserve on the roster right now, so high-upside additions would be smart.
Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Royce Newman (70). Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Royce Newman, G
As mentioned above, the Titans’ backup offensive linemen don’t inspire much confidence. The team kept Daniel Brunskill and Andrew Rupcich to back up on the interior after Saahdiq Charles’s retirement threw a wrench in the team’s plans.
Currently, Dillon Radunz is slated to start at right guard, with Brunskill and Rupcich as backup options. Adding Royce Newman would give the team a capable option who could fill in at a moment’s notice.
Newman has delivered acceptable results in 24 career starts. The lineman would greatly improve the Titans’ depth.
Los Angeles Rams running back Zach Evans (21). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Zach Evans, RB
Zach Evans was a surprise cut by the Los Angeles Rams. The 2023 sixth-round pick impressed in the preseason, scoring two TDs in the finale.
Evans will now hit the waiver wire after just one season in LA. As mentioned previously, the Titans could use reinforcements at RB. Even though Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears will get the bulk of the carries, having just one depth option probably isn’t wise.
Evans would be a high-upside claim by the Titans, providing insurance in case Pollard or Spears get injured.
The Bengals seem to have some key details about RT figured out.
It would appear some major decisions have at least been partially made when it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line.
Much of these center on Jackson Carman, the former second-round pick who has yet to find a secure home on the line as a backup.
Carman worked the Week 1 preseason game, came out, then got reinserted late in the game while mostly repping as right tackle. Fast forward to early this week, he was seen at practice taking reps at left tackle while others worked the right side.
That would appear to signal that the Carman experiment at right tackle is over. Jonah Williams is the starter there, La’el Collins is still working back from an injury and D’Ante Smith has looked very good over the last week.
Unfortunately for Carman, that leaves him behind Orlando Brown Jr. on the left side and he’s not guaranteed to shove Hakeem Adeniji out of the way for a roster spot. Notably, Cody Ford is positionally versatile and has been praised by coaches recently, too:
Taylor specifically mentioned he thought OL Cody Ford played well on Friday when going through the tape.
Keep in mind that Carman filled in at left tackle during last year’s playoffs. So this might just be a case of the team clearing a logjam on the right side while also helping him play more to his strengths.
Either way, the deep depth of the line means Carman isn’t a lock as the summer continues.
The Cincinnati Bengals have a wealth of options along an offensive line the team has upgraded multiple times over the last couple of years.
One of those is Jackson Carman, whose surprising showing late last season could make things interesting this summer. Here’s a quick profile as we keep counting down to the regular season.
Numbers to Know: Inactive for 14 games in 2022 before taking first pro snaps at tackle during playoffs.
Resume and Outlook: Carman has gone from flirting with bust status to being a rather perplexing player. He had weight and other issues adapting to the pros as a rookie but steadily turned it around, culminating in a strong showing in a playoff game against the Bills while shoved into emergency duty at left tackle. What’s interesting is he played those edge spots in college before the team asked him to learn guard as a pro. Right now, he projects as in the mix at right tackle, but it’s going to be hard for him to beat out Jonah Williams, let alone La’el Collins, once he’s back from injury. Carman’s experience at multiple spots guarantees his roster spot and he could still be a long-term answer beyond 2023, too.
And right now at offseason workouts, he’s the player getting the reps at right tackle with La’el Collins and Jonah Williams rehabbing injuries, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.
Carman’s continued rise is a fun note here. But not to be overlooked is that this is another example of the depth that encouraged the Bengals not to use a single of their eight draft picks on the offensive line.
After all, Carman and Cody Ford will work right tackle unit Collins and Williams are ready. And if Carman doesn’t win the job there, he’s played left tackle in a playoff game and trained on the interior to start his career, too.
Bengals OL Jackson Carman details his offseason work to keep the upward swing going.
The comeback tour for Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Jackson Carman appears to be on track.
After looking like a draft bust as a rookie for various reasons, Carman seized his opportunity last postseason with a strong showing in a playoff win over the Bills, getting an “unbelievable” remark from Joe Burrow in the process.
Now? Carman says he’s spent the offseason re-comping his body with an emphasis on better balance, how he applies force through his feet, etc., via means such as yoga, gymnastics and getting in the water more.
It’s a fun interview, captured by Mike Petraglia of CLNS Media:
Jackson Carman says he is transforming his body ready to compete for Bengals starting right tackle pic.twitter.com/qStvfQK5K0
The Bengals tabbed Carman as an interior lineman early, then put him at left tackle in an emergency situation last postseason. Now he’ll compete at right tackle, where there’s a steep uphill climb.
At right tackle, Carman will compete with the not-traded Jonah Williams, the rehabbing La’el Collins and Cody Ford.
While Carman doesn’t project to win that starting job in Week 1, his versatility, experience and the makeover gives him an inside track at the final 53 as a primary backup, though if the makeover translates to another jump in play, he could be a training camp surprise — which would be a great problem for the Bengals to have this summer.
Is the upward swing continuing for Bengals OT Jackson Carman?
It sounds like the upward swing for Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Jackson Carman could continue this summer.
After battling some early-career adversity, Carman found some emergency duty last year and filled in during the playoffs to positive results.
Now? Mike Petraglia of CLNS Media says Carman showed up Monday looking like he’s in even better shape:
Jackson Carman was in the locker room Monday, playing ping pong and looking significantly more slender. (conservatively 10-15 pounds lighter). The offensive lineman entering his third season after being picked in the second round of the 2021 draft looks as if he’s gotten the message about making the most of his opportunity.
Carman had conditioning issues his rookie year and lost out on a starting job against a rookie Cordell Volson at the start of last season. But the emergency work at tackle was encouraging, with brief flashes of why the team made him a second-round pick in 2021.
With Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle now, Carman is in the mix at right tackle, where La’el Collins continues to rehab and Jonah Williams submitted his trade request.
If nothing else, there has been a clear makeover for Carman, who sounds ready to seize a chance again if it arises.
