The Cincinnati Bengals added offensive lineman Max Scharping as one of three claims on the waiver wire right after meeting the NFL’s 53-man cutdown deadline.
Buy Bengals TicketsAnd it wasn’t a claim in the dark by any means.
In fact, Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack and assistant line coach Derek Frazier scouted Scharping out of college while members of the New York Jets, with the latter even attending his pro day in person.
So yes, the line coaches like the new arrival and clearly had input.
“We liked his work ethic. He’s smart,” Pollack said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He plays squarely and has stoutness in his movements and obviously he has a lot of tape in the league playing games. It’s nice to get another vet in the mix.” …
At least for now, rookie Cordell Volson has won the starting left guard job over second-round product Jackson Carman. But Scharping comes over as a veteran the coaches like and he’s safely considered immediate depth should the team need him.
For what it’s worth, while Pollack might be thrilled, the Texans certainly didn’t sound happy about losing Scharping.