Sleepers are considered players that many aren’t expecting a ton from. Here are five sleepers on the Cincinnati Bengals roster.
The Cincinnati Bengals have a team that is structured very similarly to last season outside of a few minor changes and a few new additions to both sides of the football. The offensive line is what has been revamped the most with the expectation that there should be at least three new starting offensive linemen who weren’t in Cincinnati last season.
The tight end position will also look different with C.J. Uzomah out and Hayden Hurst in. Besides that, there have only been depth pieces added to what the Bengals already had in place.
Regardless some names will need to contribute if the Cincinnati Bengals want to get back to the playoffs and, more importantly, the Super Bowl. Here are some potential sleepers to watch during the 2022 NFL season.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
5. Jackson Carman
Jackson Carman is heading into his second season after being selected in the second round out of Clemson in 2021. Carman had a consistent and very successful college career but was raw throughout his rookie season.
This is a massive year for Carman; The left guard spot is the only open job on the offensive line after the new additions across it during free agency. Many think that Carman is the favorite to maintain that job, but he has to go out and earn it.
Rookie Cordell Volson has been no slouch so far during camp, and D’Ante Smith, Trey Hill, and Hakeem Adeniji aren’t just going to roll over either. The second-year Ohio native will have to impress Frank Pollack and Zac Taylor to win the job. However, as of right now, it is safe to say he has the edge in the LG battle.
According to Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Taylor spoke on the left guard spot and emphasized that there is still a long way to go for those in the competition.
Zac Taylor on the left guard position battle: "All those guys need to continue to grow there... Third day in pads. For those guys, there's a long way to go."
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) August 5, 2022
If Carman can win the job and starts Week 1 at left guard, he will be the most significant question mark on the offensive line. Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, and La’el Collins have proven themselves productive and efficient players in this league.
Jonah Williams has only improved since being drafted in the first round a few years back. Teams will try and target that weakness, so that is exactly why Jackson Carman has to show why it isn’t a weakness and that teams can’t expose him.