Alex Carter works out with Bengals; former Lions third-round pick in 2015 NFL Draft

The Cincinnati Bengals came out of Week 2 without any major injuries, though several guys got nicked up.

That included Josh Shaw going down with an ankle injury, followed by Adam Jones injuring his arm. Both players eventually returned to the game, though one or both injuries could have gotten worse in the days since then.

Hopefully, there’s nothing wrong there, but it would help explain the Bengals working out defensive back Alex Carter on Monday, according to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. Carter is a guy who’s played cornerback and safety in the NFL, so he could provide depth at multiple spots.

Carter began his pro career as a cornerback when the Detroit Lions selected him in the third round of the 2015 draft out of Stanford.

However, Carter he missed most of OTAs that offseason while wrapping up classes at Stanford, which operates on a quarters system. Later, Carter suffered an ankle injury early in training camp and wound up the short-term injured reserve list. But once Carter was healthy, the team still declined to activate him.

After Carter missed all of his rookie season, he was waived during final roster cuts during the 2016 season. He was signed to the practice squad before being called up to the 53-man roster in Week 16. He appeared in just one game and did not record any statistics.

This last offseason, Carter made the move to safety in hopes of securing a roster spot there in Detroit. It didn’t work out, and he was once again waived during final roster cuts. To this point, no team has signed Carter to so much as a practice squad. Perhaps he’s been biding his time and waiting to pick the right team to join.

My guess is the Bengals may make a move that frees up a spot on the practice squad, which Carter may fill.