Frank Pollack Praises Cordell Volson, Bengals Left Guard Competition Far From Over

Who will be the Bengals' starting left guard?

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Aug 16, 2022 9:31 AM EDT

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Jackson Carman was the frontrunner in the left guard competition going into the preseason opener, but that quickly changed following his performance against the Cardinals.

Cordell Volson took all of the first team reps on Sunday and Monday. Carman is dealing with a little bit of an elbow issue, but the coaching staff wanted to give the rookie a chance to prove himself.

Carman's elbow issue wasn't the only reason they gave Volson a shot.

“A little bit of both. A little bit of both," Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack said. "We’re just evaluating everybody, still seeing who’s the guy who’s going to take that job.”

Carman missed Sunday's session, but worked with the second team offense on Monday. He had a sleeve on his right elbow.

Volson had an impressive debut against the Cardinals and has followed that up with two quality practices.

"He does a good job anchoring in pass protection. When he locks up on somebody, he's a strong guy, he's got great grip and they have a tough time getting around him," head coach Zac Taylor said. "It's a good competition, both guys have shown really well and we're just looking for the overall consistency for someone to grab ahold of that job and move on with it."

Volson might be a fourth-round rookie, but he's making quite an impression on Pollack and the rest of the coaching staff.

"He definitely has sh-- in his neck," Pollack said with a smile. "He's hard on himself. He's a rookie. He's growing. He's learning. It's a big step to go from a smaller school to the NFL. I lived it myself and he's a much better player, much farther along. This is a man's game; a man's league. He's done a nice job. He's a professional. He's shown he's got plenty ability and strength to match with these guys at this level. It's just about sharpening that sword and fine-tuning his skill sets."

Volson appears to have the lead, but he isn't the only guy battling Carman for the left guard job. Pollack said Trey Hill is also in the mix.

"He's (Hill) doing a lot of good things. He's another guy that's competing for that left guard spot," Pollack said. "He's been valuable for us at center. He's starting to get some more guard reps. He's done a nice job. He's grown a lot as a player. He's right there in the mix with everyone else at that left guard spot."

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