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