The Cincinnati Bengals don’t anticipate a first round pick at No. 28 overall being the answer at right tackle.
But both offensive line coach Frank Pollack and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan think Jackson Carman will be in the mix for the right tackle spot if La’el Collins isn’t ready for Week 1 next season.
Speaking at the scouting combine with reporters, Pollack said instant-starting right tackles don’t usually make it out of the top 10 and that Carman’s growth as a player has shown enough to put him in the competition on the right side.
“He could be the right tackle. Absolutely. He’s in the mix,” Pollack said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He’s definitely in the mix. Hopefully L.C. can make it back in time and who knows how the offseason plays out, but we’ve got to prepare to have a guy ready and Jackson’s a guy in the mix.”
“We’ve always felt like Jackson is capable,” Callahan said. “He’s grown up a ton. He’s done a lot of things better. We really felt good about what he put on tape against Buffalo. There are some things he can clean up technically and all that stuff. Not a complete player by any stretch but we really felt good about where he was at. I’m excited about his trajectory.”
These comments coincided with Callahan saying they won’t move Jonah Williams out of the left tackle position.
Realistically, this doesn’t change much about Cincinnati’s outlook. It was obvious Carman would be in the mix somewhere, but that’s not likely to stop the team from adding multiple offensive linemen via free agency and/or the draft.
Carman’s positive showing on short notice last year is simply an extra unanticipated bonus for the team as it tackles this offseason.
