5 Bengals who could get bumped down depth chart
- Can Drew Sample and Jackson Carman shed their bust labels?
- What does Chris Evans have to do to get an opportunity?
- Could Zach Carter be on the outside looking in?
- Trent Taylor is in deep trouble.
2. Zach Carter
Zach Carter was just drafted in the third round last year, and you may ask why he would be slipping. It's the fact that the Bengals spent their first-round selection on a defensive lineman who can rush the passer. That being Myles Murphy out of Clemson.
Cincinnati also retained all of their key defensive linemen from last year (Trey Hendrickson, DJ Reader, B.J. Hill, and Sam Hubbard). That's not even to mention key guys like Joseph Ossai, Cam Sample, and Josh Tupou, who also appeared in more snaps than Carter did.
Right now, Carter is in a similar spot to Jeffrey Gunter, another 2022 draft pick (though taken in the seventh round). He's not necessarily, doing anything to lose his overall value, but there may not be any key rotation spots for them unless injuries or poor performance happen in front of them.
Zach Carter should be good for making the 53-man roster, but the amount of actual time he sees on the field may be extremely limited until he does something to make himself standout.