Tag: Xavier Su’a-Filo

Bengals could go with Jackson Carman as Xavier Su’a-Filo battles injury

Jackson Carman time in Cincinnati?

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The Cincinnati Bengals might not have a choice but to throw second-round rookie guard Jackson Carman into the lineup for the team’s Week 3 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Monday, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor revealed that starting guard Xavier Su’a-Filo is day-to-day with a leg injury.

It was already worth wondering if the Bengals were going to consider a change along the offensive line like this anyway. Su’a-Filo was one of the worst-graded players for a line that posted miserable grades across the board during the team’s loss to Chicago.

Carman was more of a developmental prospect than the Bengals anticipated after making him a second-round pick. But Bengals coaches have consistently said they’re happy with his progress and that he’d be the first guy off the bench.

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Cowboys retain Joe Looney, Su’a-Filo to Bengals, Fleming to Giants

The backup guard played a critical role in Dallas’s 2018 playoff run; now he’ll likely compete for a starting job blocking for Joe Burrow.

The Cowboys traditionally put serious emphasis on their offensive line; the backups are often of a caliber that ostensibly would make them starters for other teams. That theory is about to tested in Cincinnati.

The Bengals have lured away guard Xavier Su’a-Filo after two seasons in Dallas. All is not lost though, as the Cowboys retained the services of versatile interior lineman Joe Looney, bringing him back on a one-season deal.

Looney has spent the last four years with the club, starting 20 games including the entire 2018 season when All-Pro center Travis Frederick was out with an autoimmune illness. The eight-year veteran played just 100 snaps in 2019, backing up both center and guard positions, after proving he’s a capable starter with 1,076 snaps in 2018.

While a deal has yet to be finalized, it is believed that the Bengals have offered the 29-year-old Su’a-Filo a three-year contract worth $10 million. The former second-round pick will likely compete for a starting spot blocking for LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, expected to go to Cincinnati with the top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Bengals cut guard John Miller earlier on Wednesday in anticipation of the Su’a-Filo signing.

Su’a-Filo spent his first four pro seasons with the Houston Texans before going to Tennessee in 2018. He was cut prior to the season, though, and plucked by Dallas. Midway through the season, he took over for injured rookie Connor Williams and started several games during the team’s remarkable turnaround and eventual playoff run that year.

The UCLA alum started four games in 2019 before suffering a high ankle sprain and fibula fracture in the Week 16 loss at Philadelphia. He ended the season on injured reserve.

ESPN’s Todd Archer writes:

“With Xavier Su’a-Filo joining Cincinnati, the Cowboys will look to fill that interior offensive line spot in-house. Last year’s third-round pick, Connor McGovern, missed the season with a pectoral injury but will be ready to go for whenever the offseason program starts. The 2018 second-round pick, Connor Williams is coming back from a torn ACL.”

Tackle Cameron Fleming has already been released by the club and has signed with the New York Giants on a one-year, $4 million agreement.

Former Cowboys left guard Ronald Leary is on the open market after three seasons in Denver. His name had already been making the rounds in regard to a possible return to Dallas.

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