Tag: Jackson Carman

Bengals appear to make decision with Jackson Carman, right tackle

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:

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.

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Bengals 2023 player profile for G Jackson Carman

A 2023 profile for Bengals G Jackson Carman.

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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.

 

Experience: 3 years (Round 2, 2021)

Age: 23

College: Clemson

2021 PFF Grade: 60.7

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.

Highlights:

 

 

Other 2023 Bengals player profiles: 

Position Name
OL Jaxson Kirkland
DE Tarell Basham
RB Chris Evans
DE Jeff Gunter
P Brad Robbins
LB Jaylen Moody
TE Drew Sample
QB Trevor Siemian
DE Cam Sample
CB DJ Ivey
WR Stanley Morgan

 

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Jackson Carman getting RT reps with La’el Collins, Jonah Williams out

Jackson Carman gets the nod at RT for the Bengals right now.

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Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Jackson Carman has continued to impress with his growth as a pro since that playoff game in Buffalo last year.

Most recently, Carman impressed by explaining how he’s been changing his body and game.

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.

Collins had the big knee injury last December and Williams, who shared weightlifting and rehab videos recently, continues to work away from the team — but is expected to attend mandatory activities after trade speculation.

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.

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Bengals’ Jackson Carman impressing again before key season

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.

Carman followed that up in April by impressing onlookers with his reworked body.

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:

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.

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Bengals OT Jackson Carman impressed onlookers at workouts

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.

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Bengals say Jackson Carman will compete at right tackle this summer

The Bengals will include Jackson Carman in the plan at RT.

The Cincinnati Bengals don’t anticipate a first round pick at No. 28 overall being the answer at right tackle.

But both offensive line coach Frank Pollack and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan think Jackson Carman will be in the mix for the right tackle spot if La’el Collins isn’t ready for Week 1 next season.

Speaking at the scouting combine with reporters, Pollack said instant-starting right tackles don’t usually make it out of the top 10 and that Carman’s growth as a player has shown enough to put him in the competition on the right side.

“He could be the right tackle. Absolutely. He’s in the mix,” Pollack said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He’s definitely in the mix. Hopefully L.C. can make it back in time and who knows how the offseason plays out, but we’ve got to prepare to have a guy ready and Jackson’s a guy in the mix.”

Callahan echoed these same sentiments, pointing to Carman’s surprisingly good showing in the snow during the playoff game in Buffalo — at left tackle.

“We’ve always felt like Jackson is capable,” Callahan said. “He’s grown up a ton. He’s done a lot of things better. We really felt good about what he put on tape against Buffalo. There are some things he can clean up technically and all that stuff. Not a complete player by any stretch but we really felt good about where he was at. I’m excited about his trajectory.”

These comments coincided with Callahan saying they won’t move Jonah Williams out of the left tackle position.

Realistically, this doesn’t change much about Cincinnati’s outlook. It was obvious Carman would be in the mix somewhere, but that’s not likely to stop the team from adding multiple offensive linemen via free agency and/or the draft.

Carman’s positive showing on short notice last year is simply an extra unanticipated bonus for the team as it tackles this offseason.

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Two former Tigers tabbed as second-year NFL breakout candidates

The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner recently picked 11 second-year NFL breakout candidates on each side of the ball, and two former Clemson Tigers appeared on the list of offensive players in Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and …

The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner recently picked 11 second-year NFL breakout candidates on each side of the ball, and two former Clemson Tigers appeared on the list of offensive players in Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Jackson Carman.

Here’s some of what Baumgardner wrote about Lawrence, of course the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft:

 Lawrence’s rookie season was overshadowed by a bunch of stuff that had nothing to do with him, but in reality, he was one of many Jaguars forced to make the best of a rough situation. The roster is better this year, Lawrence will have more weapons, and he gets another year with Marvin Jones Jr. — one of the smoothest vets in the league.

When Lawrence is under control, he can be lethal. People can forget how athletic he is, but you never have to squint to find examples of how Lawrence moves the pocket with his feet before uncorking beautiful, vertical throws from weird angles. There are also times when he wants to throw off his back foot too much or sticks too long on his second read.

As for Carman, a second-round pick (46th overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft, Baumgardner wrote, “Carman played three positions — left guard, right guard and left tackle — as a rookie on an AFC champion, and he lived to tell about it. A tackle at Clemson, Carman might find a home in the NFL at guard (if Cincinnati lets him settle in), as his quick hands and powerful first step can be a great combo. There are also examples on tape of Carman doing a great job in the second level against athletic linebackers.”

A Greater Cincinnati native (Fairfield, Ohio), Carman spent the majority of his rookie season as a reserve but did start six games and saw action on 501 combined snaps (regular season plus postseason) during Cincinnati’s run to Super Bowl LVI.

Lawrence finished his rookie season 359-of-602 for 3,641 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. He also compiled 334 rushing yards on 73 attempts and two touchdowns.

Lawrence and Carman were teammates at Clemson from 2018-20 and won a national title together in 2018.

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

Cordell Volson vs. Jackson Carman battle takes interesting turn

The battle for left guard is officially on.

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There is no more interesting battle at Cincinnati Bengals training camp than the one between Jackson Carman and Cordell Volson for the guard at left job, the only spot on the offensive line up for grabs at all.

Carman, the second-rounder from a year ago, struggled mightily during the preseason opener. Volson, a fourth-round rookie, then came in and showed he deserves some reps with the first team during practice.

And that’s exactly what he’s getting.

Volson had all the first-team reps on Sunday with Carman out. Carman returned on Monday, albeit with a brace on his arm for what is described as a minor issue — but only saw snaps with the second team when he took part in 11-on-11 work.

While Carman’s health could play a role in some of this, his technique issues and overall struggles during the preseason game while being the only starter on the field stuck out.

With coaches saying on Monday that they like the stability Volson has shown so far, there’s a clear path for him to really leave a mark this week and perhaps get out to a major lead in the battle.

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Bengals rookie Cordell Volson made case for 1st-team reps as Jackson Carman struggled

The battle is far from over, yet the rookie is elbowing his way into first-team reps.

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As perhaps many expected, it appears the battle at left guard for the Cincinnati Bengals isn’t going to be nearly as easy to figure out as it should be.

During Friday night’s preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals, 2021 second-round pick Jackson Carman struggled mightily while fourth-round rookie Cordell Volson looked solid for a big chunk of the night.

That’s thrown things for a bit of a loop, as Carman came in without the issues that dogged his rookie season. He’s also got a year of experience over Volson.

But it appears things just aren’t that simple. Much of what coaches saw from Carman in practices this summer just didn’t show up often, to the point he was the team’s only starter playing amongst backups in the first half.

Now highlights and analysis have started to leak out, with this notable from PFF’s Anthony Treash:

This doesn’t mean the battle is settled by any means. But it’s a pretty clear sign the team doesn’t have long before it needs to throw first-team reps at Volson and really see what he can do.

Maybe the rookie flops. He was, after all, merely looking solid against second and third-stringers. But it could also gradually translate to good looks against starters, helping him provide a steadier presence than Carman on a snap-to-snap basis.

Or — and this seems pretty likely given how bad the rest of the backups were against other backups — the Bengals will have to look to free agency and smaller trades near final 53 cutdowns to find other solutions.

Either way, it’s clear Volson is right in the thick of this competition because Carman keeps leaving the door open.

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Dax Hill, Jackson Carman are notables seeing work in Bengals’ preseason opener

Two key Bengals will get some work during the preseason opener.

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The Cincinnati Bengals won’t roll out many starters in the team’s preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals on Friday.

But they will ask first-round rookie Dax Hill to start in the free safety spot with Jessie Bates gone. They will also ask second-round sophomore Jackson Carman to take the reps at left guard.

“Jackson played a lot for us last year but I think it’s good for him to continue to get that work, and I know he’ll attack it the right way,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “It’ll be good to see him perform on Friday.”

That job at left guard remains wide open after Carman’s well-documented struggles last year. He’s in direct competition with fourth-round rookie Cordell Volson for the only spot on the new-look offensive line up for grabs. It will still take an upset for Carman to eventually lose the spot, but Friday is the first major landmark in the competition.

As for Hill, he’s received critical reps across the defense with the ones, something he wouldn’t have enjoyed with Bates at camp. That journey continues on Friday when he’ll get his first taste of live-NFL action.

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