The Cincinnati Bengals have dropped their first official depth chart of training camp and the usually by-the-books ordeal has some surprises.
Namely, along the offensive line.
While one might expect a rookie like Jackson Carman or veteran Xavier Su’a-Filo to sit in the starter spots at guard, the honors actually got to Michael Jordan and veteran Quinton Spain.
This tracks with what we saw most recently in a practice, with Carman not working with the ones and fourth-round rookie D’Ante Smith getting a nod with the first team.
On the depth chart, Carman is actually on the third string while Smith on the second string.
One big thing of note here — this is temporary before the team’s first preseason game. There’s plenty of time for things to change and Carman will be given every chance to win a starting job. But it’s clear what the team plans for Smith with his designation as a guard.
That said, consistency is a big problem for the Bengals in recent years, so a revolving door of names throughout three preseason games could do more harm than good.
For now, the second-rounder is behind the fourth-rounder and two unexpected names hold starting spots.
