08-06-2023, 12:00 PM
(08-06-2023, 11:39 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Idk Weezy, I'd say that the team is counting on Carman also being the backup LT, seeing as he filled in as well as he did in the playoff games. I think that Ford was brought in for his versatility to backup 3 spots. I see Kirkland as a developmental/practice squad project and eventually making the roster down the road. I believe that D'ante Smith would have to have the camp of his lifetime in order to avoid not making the team, same with Adeneji.
Yeah, we haven't seen a lot from Smith as he never stays healthy. He's never managed to supplant any of the usual suspects on the depth chart. Ford has never been very good. I liked him as a guard coming out of college, but he's basically hanging around the league because he's huge and plays a lot of positions, none of them very well. On top of that, he views himself as a tackle, because of course he does. Kirkland is, as you say a practice squad guy. If he's in a regular rotation, we've got big problems.
Carman has always been lackluster in practices. He's a strange species of player. Coaches do not seem to love him. We were all petrified of him taking snaps at LT in the playoff last year, myself included. I mean, for crap's sake, he couldn't beat out Adeniji on the depth chart. That's not a ringing endorsement.
Then the playoffs happened and he became one of the two best linemen on the field for the Bengals, perhaps the best period. He was extremely physical and his pass pro was more than acceptable. Far from the disaster we were all expecting. He looked like the player they thought they were getting when they drafted him.
I think Carman has more than enough credit to get through this camp on the roster. He's not an asset you let go without getting something in return. It's not clear who the RT is after 2023. Williams is all but gone, Collins' health is a big question. The crowded field will thin out fast. Carman should be motivated to stake a claim to the spot before next season.
