Want another example of just how deep the defensive line is for the Cincinnati Bengals going into 2023?
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor used a postgame interview after the team’s tie with the Falcons during Week 2 of the preseason to talk up a lesser-known name on the roster — defensive lineman Owen Carney.
“Yeah, I saw guys continue to make plays,” Taylor said. “I saw Owen Carney make a huge sack in the fourth quarter to knock them out of field goal range and now, as you see the score, it ended up being a big deal since they had to punt. So again, it’s a great opportunity for guys like that to rise up and make a play to help us to win or tie. I saw several guys be able to affect the game that way and that was good to see.”
Carney, undrafted in 2022, signed with the Bengals practice squad in November of last year and spent the final six weeks of the season and postseason there.
Now, he’s making the most of his opportunity during late action in an exhibition and getting praised from the head coach about it.
As we noted in our postgame takeaways, defensive line depth outside of Carney continues to be incredibly impressive, in large part thanks to interior pass-rusher Zach Carter and edge rusher Cam Sample.
But don’t sleep on Carney either, with the defensive line once again likely to cause coaches the toughest decisions of all at cut-down day.
