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.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) August 14, 2023
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.
