Bengals OL coach Frank Pollack gives an encouraging update on Jackson Carman’s progress

“He’s invested in himself on his approach this offseason.”

The Cincinnati Bengals have been active this free agency period, and one of their main concerns that needed to be addressed was on the offensive line.

They started to fix their issues in the 2021 NFL Draft, bringing in guard Jackson Carman in the second round.

Carman was originally from Fairfield, about 30 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. He spent his collegiate career at Clemson. Carman didn’t have a great rookie season, totaling five penalties on 462 snaps. He received just a 56.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

The Bengals’ starting left guard in 2021 was Quinton Spain, who is now a free agent, and the team has been making moves to add big-name talent on their offensive line.

The signings of tackle La’el Collins, center Ted Karras and guard Alex Cappa were huge, but along with Eli Apple, B.J. Hill and Hayden Hurst, the Bengals have been racking up price tag for the franchise.

That’s why Carman’s development is going to be huge this coming season, and from what offensive line coach Frank Pollack is saying, it sounds like the young guard is off to a good start this offseason.

“He’s invested in himself on his approach this offseason. I was proud of some of the choices he’s making to better himself as a professional in that area,” Pollack said via Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson.

Carman is hopefully going to be a long-term staple of the franchise, and he’s going to instantly be contending for a starting spot, whether he wins that battle or not. Pollack has been impressed by what the young guard has already been able to take in.

“I think there are still a lot of things in motion. It’s kind of hard to say. You have to be flexible. Jackson is definitely a guy competing for that spot. No question about it. His learning curve and growth he showed last year definitely puts him in position to be guy that’s going to compete for it,” Pollack continued with.

The Bengals’ weakness in the postseason was on their offensive line, allowing a combined 16 sacks to the Titans and Rams. Carman is going to be part of the solution, and hopefully, his development happens sooner rather than later.