With their second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals surprised some people when they selected Clemson's Jackson Carman. The Bengals surprised people a lot in that draft, as in the first round, they opted not to take Penei Sewell with the fifth overall pick and instead took Ja'Marr Chase.
Wide receiver wasn't a need for Cincinnati at that time but no one would argue now that it was a bad pick. The Carman selection felt like a reach, especially after the team heard all of the criticism directed at them for not fixing one of the biggest holes on the team.
Carman, to put it nicely, has not been worth the second-rounder whatsoever. This past year, Carman appeared in just three regular season games and by Week 3, was inactive for nearly the entire regular season. Had it not been for injuries on the o-line, Carman probably doesn't get reactivated to the regular season roster.
Carman did look okay in the playoffs when he had to play left tackle due to Jonah Williams' injury but he looked absolutely abysmal in the preseason opener. It's starting to make fans wonder if Carman's spot on the roster is in big trouble.
Could the Bengals trade Jackson Carman?
Matt Holder of Bleacher Report put together a list of one player that each team should put on the trade block. He put Carman for the Cincinnati Bengals.
"The Bengals also have plenty of options at offensive tackle as Orlando Brown Jr. mans the left side, Williams is on the right and La'el Collins continues to work his way back from a late-season knee injury. So, Carman is somewhat expendable.Matt Holder
Granted, the 23-year-old's trade value likely took a hit after this past week, but Cincinnati should be able to get something for a 2021 second-round pick who has two years left on his rookie contract, even if the return is minimal."
I agree that Carman is expendable because yes, the Bengals already have Orlando Brown Jr. and Jonah Williams as the starters and then La'el Collins, as Holder mentioned. What he didn't mention is that the team also has Hakeem Adeniji, Cody Ford, and D'Ante Smith as depth options as well.
Smith is someone who looked pretty good in the preseason opener and could bump Carman further down the depth chart if he continues to play well. More than likely, if Brown got injured, Williams would slide over to left tackle and Collins would play right tackle so having a true backup for Brown probably isn't necessary.
Carman probably isn't going to command much in a trade but even if the Bengals can get a late draft pick for him, that's better than nothing.