Jackson Carman Must Improve for Bengals' Offense to Reach Their Full Potential This Season

The 2021 second round pick believes he can be much better than he was as a rookie.

Author:
James Yarcho
Publish date:
May 30, 2022 8:45 AM EDT

There were two things the Cincinnati Bengals needed to focus on improving this offseason: the offensive line and the secondary.

Those were the two weakest parts of their roster in 2021 and they addressed both in fantastic fashion. With the additions of La'el Collins, Alex Cappa, and Ted Karras in free agency, the Bengals are well on their way to protecting Joe Burrow and opening up I-75 sized running lanes for Joe Mixon.

What about Jackson Carman?

Carman disappointed as a rookie, starting just six games last season. He couldn't get on the field in the Super Bowl, despite the Bengals' offensive line struggles.

Carman has to be better in 2022. The good news is, he believes he can, and will be better this season.

"I learned a lot, a tremendous amount," Carman said. "Anything from off-field stuff and how to be a professional to being on the field, learning techniques and just learning more socially, interacting with my teammates, my coaches."

Those are the kinds of things you want to hear from a former second round pick that warmed the bench for most of his rookie campaign.

And if there were questions about his maturity, that type of roller coaster season needed to be a wake up call for Carman heading into his sophomore season. Now, with experienced, veteran leadership brought in around him, the Bengals need to see a vast improvement in Carman's game.

Even if he ends up being the weakest member of the offensive line, that wouldn't necessarily make him bad. Getting consistency at a position that was chaos in 2021 will already be an improvement.

On top of that, the offensive line has to work in unison. They have to trust one another to do their jobs and they only way to build that kind of chemistry and trust is by having the same group of guys playing together every snap. Yes, injuries happen and you can't plan for those, but from the jump in training camp to the last snap of the year, having all five guys together make a big difference on offense.

Think of it like an orchestra. It's not about the individual instrument groups, it's the result of all of them playing together and trusting that each group. The violins, violas, cellos, percussion will hit the right notes, come in at the right times, and contribute to the flow of the music. When it all comes together, it can be a beautiful thing but if just one person is off it can create disaster.

That's why it's so vital for Carman to take that leap in 2022. The Bengals don't want to see another season end in such heartbreaking fashion, especially when they have all the pieces to create a masterpiece.

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