It has been a wild ride for Cincinnati Bengals second-round pick Jackson Carman.
Carman, selected to help the offensive line in some capacity, either at guard or tackle, was the team’s answer to not selecting an offensive lineman in the first round of this year’s draft, instead opting for Ja’Marr Chase at fifth overall.
But Carman was behind the ball in training camp from the jump, struggling with conditioning and adapting to guard. A veteran teammate even mentioned he showed up overweight.
Slowly but surely, Carman started filling in when the line needed help but failed to break through as a starter for most of the season.
Then he replaced Hakeem Adeniji at right guard in the AFC title game.
Carman wasn’t perfect there, but he did throw a key block in a long touchdown. Fast forward two weeks later, it sure sounds like he might be headed for a full-blown start in the Super Bowl, as captured by ESPN’s Ben Baby:
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said they’ve seen enough from rookie OL Jackson Carman (back) to start him at right guard.
On whether that’s going to be the plan, he smirked: “We’ll see.”
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) February 11, 2022
Even if he doesn’t start, Carman figures to get in on the action at some point, as coaches have talked about liking a rotation to keep things fresh.
No matter who starts, it’s an important moment for Carman during the biggest game of his life. Not only would all involved like to get a win, the performance could tell the team whether or not they need to heavily invest in the same line spots again or trust that Carman will remain on an upward trajectory after a slow start.
