4. Jackson Carman
After spending a second-round pick on Jackson Carman, it became common knowledge that the Bengals were planning to move him from his tackle position to guard. While Carman struggled in training camp, he turned things around by the end of the preseason.
Eventually, Carman found himself as the starting right guard after Xavier Su’a-Filo was placed on IR. This lasted for three games before Carman was placed on the COVID list and in danger of missing Week 6. He did end up playing in that game, but only because Hill struggled in his absence.
Carman hasn’t played much over the past few weeks though, giving him a very up and down rookie season. While he hasn’t been a disaster, he hasn’t lived up to the hype of a second-round pick and that’s why I felt No. 4 was a good ranking for him.
3. Cameron Sample
Fourth-round pick Cameron Sample has appeared in 10 games, tallying nine tackles and one sack during that time. He hasn’t appeared in more than 56% of defensive snaps but Sample has made some positive contributions to the team this year.
Hopefully, we’ll get to see more of Sample as the season winds down but for now, it’s between him and Jackson Carman for the No. 3 spot. I went with Sample simply because he’s been more consistent throughout the season. He hasn’t started at all but he’s made an appearance in all but one game so far this season.