The Jackson Carman Saga Has Gone From Bad To Worse
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Ja’Marr Chase vs. Penei Sewell debate sent Bengals fans into a frenzy in the lead-up to the 2021 NFL Draft. In the end, the Bengals selected the accomplished wide receiver, and Sewell was selected two picks later by the Detroit Lions.
With the Bengals opting to go with Chase, selecting an offensive lineman with their second pick in that year’s draft was almost a guarantee. They followed through with exactly that by selecting Clemson offensive tackle Jackson Carman. Unfortunately, Carman has become arguably the worst draft pick of the Zac Taylor era.
Carman was selected with the 46th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, trading down from the No. 38 pick to add two additional selections. With the three picks they got back from New England, the Bengals selected Carman, defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin (who was off the Bengals’ roster in two years), and offensive tackle D’Ante Smith (who is currently Carman’s next-door neighbor in the basement of the depth chart).
Carman has been an extremely limited contributor for the Bengals, having played a grand total of 16 offensive snaps over the past two seasons. All 16 of those offensive snaps came in Week 18 games in 2023 and 2024.
The left tackle was on the field for 40 snaps in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay. He was okay in pass protection, allowing one hit and one pressure in 35 pass-blocking snaps. However, where he deeply struggled was in penalties; Carman gave a masterclass in the art of holding (with a false start penalty thrown in for good measure).
All things considered – who Cincy passed on, offensive line being the long running weakness, the teams inability to move on from him – Jackson Carman might be the worst draft pick of all time https://t.co/n2qlLXNMUq
— BlueResident (@GemCityBengal) August 11, 2024
All of those penalties were committed in a single half. This performance was against the Bucs’ backups in a preseason matchup, no less.
The Bengals have given Carman an incredible amount of rope since he entered the league. He’s had opportunities to win starting positions at nearly every position on the offensive line. He received looks at left tackle, particularly in the 2022 postseason, until the Bengals acquired Orlando Brown Jr. in a marquee free agency deal.
Carman was given an opportunity to win the starting left guard job over Cordell Volson in 2022, and he failed. At right guard, he played over 300 snaps in his rookie year, but ultimately lost out on that role to Alex Cappa, who was signed in 2022. At right tackle (which has been held by what feels like 96 players since 2020), he lost out in a competition with Jonah Williams to earn the starting job in 2023.
His NFL career is on the line, and Carman is playing like he’s let that pressure get to his head. He’s squandered each and every opportunity given to him. Instead of giving him a chance to start at right tackle after Williams’ departure, the Bengals signed Trent Brown and drafted Amarius Mims with their first-round pick last offseason.
While it’s not entirely unreasonable to say he could find another NFL job (though his play has not done him any favors), a sexual assault allegation from his college days made him undraftable to some teams. The red flags surrounding his character also cropped up on the field. According to Kahler’s report, a scout said that Carman struggled with maintaining his weight and attending classes.
“We did not think this was a great decision-maker with a lot of emotional maturity,” another scout told Kahler.
When asked about it on the day after the report surfaced, head coach Zac Taylor refused to comment on it.
Zac Taylor opens press conference: “First off, I am aware there is a story about Jackson Carman today. I don’t have any comment on that.”
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) April 29, 2022
Carman’s whole career has been a disappointment. He’s gone from a player with a potential long-term role in the starting lineup to a player who has played his way down the depth chart. It’s no guarantee that he will be cut prior to the season, but he is in the final year of his rookie contract, and it’s hard to imagine a world where his play warrants a contract extension.
Perhaps the Bengals keep him around for familiarity and depth reasons, as he has left tackle experience and is the current backup behind Brown. It’s even possible that they keep him around because he’s a hometown kid who was drafted high and comes from a school with a good history of nurturing talented NFL players. They also may not want to give up on a player who, despite his shortcomings and baggage, has demonstrated an ability to be an imposing and physical offensive tackle. Maybe they keep him around because he gives players rides home whenever they need one (which would explain the last name Car-man).
Whatever the reason has been, this saga just can’t last much longer. He will, in all likelihood, continue to get a healthy chunk of snaps in this preseason. He is firmly on the roster bubble, and his days in Cincinnati are almost certainly numbered. If he continues to play like he did on Saturday, that number could be even in the single digits.
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