Bengals Offensive Line Takeaways from Preseason Week 2 Matchup Against Falcons
The Bengals tied the Falcons in Week 2 of the preseason, but at least they know who they're starting right tackle is going to be this season.
Jonah Williams was only on the field for 11 snaps on Friday (5 runs and 6 passes), but he's entrenched as the starter.
Meanwhile, Jackson Carman lead the offensive line with 63(!) snaps split between both tackle spots. Not only does this show that the competition is officially over, but it shows that the Bengals may be focusing their efforts on finding a way for Carman to work at left tackle. Of his 63 snaps, 49 (77.78%) of them were on the left side.
In other snap count related news, outside of Williams, offensive linemen with less than 20 snaps in Friday's game were Nate Gilliam (16), Ben Brown (14) and Hakeem Adeniji (12). These players were also the only players to NOT play two positions throughout the course of the game.
D'Ante Smith and Carman were the only tackles that played both sides, implying that they're in the competition for a swing tackle role with the team. Though he only had 26 snaps (14 at left tackle and 12 at right), Smith had another solid performance. He may not jump off the screen, but he has been consistent on both sides.
The Bengals should know what they're getting from him on every snap, but the question they'll have to ask themselves between now and August 29th [cut-down day] is, "Will that be enough?"
Trey Hill and Max Scharping appear to be locked in a very interesting battle for the backup center/guard spot.
The Bengals had them working at the right guard spot against the Falcons, after playing both guys on the left side in Week 1 of the preseason.
I still feel that Scharping has the lead due to Hill struggling as a run blocker. Scharping has a play strength advantage on running plays, but the two are pretty even in pass protection.
Cody Ford and Jaxson Kirkland got the majority of the left guard reps (23 and 26, respectively). This doesn't represent a competition as much as the Bengals trying to evaluate their potential.
Kirkland also took snaps on the other side, but he looks more like a project and appears to be destined for the practice squad. Ford, on the other hand, was at right tackle as his alternate position. He's shown a lot of flexibility across the line this preseason, playing three of the five spots. Personally, it looked to me that he struggled as a Tackle. I see his best shot for making the team as a swing guard and emergency Tackle.
Overall, this group is coming along and there are a couple of players separating themselves. It will be interesting to see who the Bengals roll out as their first group (or first alternate, if we see more starters get reps) on Saturday against the Commanders.
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