Cincinnati Bengals aren’t writing Jackson Carman off just yet

The Cincinnati Bengals spent a second-round pick on Clemson offensive lineman Jackson Carman and it’s been a roller coaster so far.

Carman struggled over the summer with the transition from tackle to guard but eventually found his way into the starting lineup in Week 3 when Xavier Su’a-Filo went down with an injury and couldn’t start. Carman impressed in his first few starts but it’s been pretty hit or miss since then.

After getting injured in the Week 8 loss to the Jets and Hakeem Adeniji returning to the team, Carman lost his starting right guard job. Fortunately for Carman, the Bengals aren’t giving up on him.

When speaking to the media, offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said that Adeniji “has the edge” but that Carman isn’t being written off.

Jackson Carman isn’t starting but the Bengals aren’t giving up on him.

This isn’t much of a surprise. The Bengals didn’t spend a second-round pick on Carman to give up on him after nine games (five of which were starts) so he’ll get plenty of opportunities to step into this offensive line and show what he can do.

This offseason will be a driving force when it comes to what Carman’s role is moving forward. Quinton Spain is slated to hit free agency and while the Bengals should re-sign him, he might have played himself into a nice contract elsewhere. If Spain leaves, left guard is open and that could be a potential landing spot for Carman.

Riley Reiff is also hitting free agency when the season is over with and that’d open the right tackle position. Carman played left tackle at Clemson but if Reiff isn’t retained, a potential move to right tackle might not be out of the question for him. Adeniji could also be an option to start at right tackle, as he played tackle at Kansas and filled in for Jonah Williams last year when he was injured.

There are plenty of ways for Jackson Carman to get involved again on the o-line but for now, letting Adeniji play right guard is the correct choice for this team.