Cincinnati Bengals: 3 position battles to watch in training camp

Cincinnati Bengals position battles to watch  – No. 1: Offensive Guard

There’s no doubt that the offensive guard position is the battle to watch this summer. Both the left guard and right guard jobs are up for grabs and there are four guys who will be duking it out for the two starting jobs.

While many seem to think rookie Jackson Carman will be the starting right guard, it’s not a guarantee, especially if he doesn’t step up and show he’s ready for the transition this summer. It’s not easy to switch from tackle to guard or vice versa so the Bengals are putting a lot of stock into Carman being able to make the transition flawlessly.

Carman is one of the four guys vying for a starting job and the other three are Michael Jordan, Quinton Spain, and Xavier Su’a-Filo, all of whom have seen playing time for the Bengals. Spain appeared in nine games during his lone season in Cincy, Jordan has played in 27 games and made 19 starts through two years, and Su’a-Filo played in six games during his inaugural season with the Bengals.

Zac Taylor said it’d be fun to watch the guards duke it out this summer and while Bengals fans might not be as enthusiastic about the training camp battle, it’s important for the Bengals to make the right decision when choosing their two starting guards.

Both guard spots are vacant entering the 2021 season and half of the aforementioned guys will be starters when the season begins. The other two will be relegated to backup duties.