The Cincinnati Bengals are now down three of their starting offensive linemen as they look to beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional round this Sunday. They're missing their starting left tackle, right guard, and right tackle and the injuries couldn't have piled up at a worst time.
Jackson Carman, a former second-round pick, has gone from inactive player to backup to now the starting left tackle. Offensive coordinator Brian Callahan thinks he's more than capable of of holding his own.
"He's done a nice job of taking his role seriously.... he's done a good job of growing up." Brian Callahan on Jackson Carman
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) January 18, 2023
Carman was a controversial pick at the time simply because he played left tackle at Clemson and the Bengals immediately made it known that they were going to transition him to guard. Jonah Williams was the left tackle at the time and the team wasn't going away from that but now that Williams is nearing the end of his rookie contract, Carman sliding over there could make sense.
Callahan noted during his Wednesday press conference that Carman has been practicing at tackle since midway through the season.
Brian Callahan believes in Jackson Carman
Carman looked to be a wasted draft pick earlier this season when he was made inactive in Week 3 and remained inactive for pretty much the rest of the season. Fans figured that was that and Carman's time as a Bengal would be up when the 2022 campaign came to a close.
Now, however, Carman has a chance to slide back to the position he played in college and show what he can do there. If he plays even average during the rest of the playoffs, a case could be made for the Bengals to keep him around moving forward.
This is the opportunity that Carman needs and let's see if he can deliver on the biggest stage.