Jackson Carman is developing rapidly

Jackson Carman is quickly coming into his own.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the rookie guard had a promising show against the Detroit Lions, earning him a blocking grade of 87.2 from Pro Football Focus, including a 90.3 run blocking grade. Unfortunately, he had to exit that game early with illness and saw limited snaps.

That set up his official breakout game against the Baltimore Ravens the very next week.

Carman was a force to be reckoned with in Cincinnati’s 41-17 thrashing of its AFC North rival. Most will remember his absolute manhandling of Brandon Williams on Samaje Perine’s late touchdown run:

The play was so noteworthy that Carman was featured in Week 7 Schrager’s Fabulous Five.

But the rookie had a similarly dominant play in pass protection, pancaking Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike to set up a Joe Burrow slant to Ja’Marr Chase:

Here’s the broadcast angle:

Along with right tackle Riley Reiff, Carman is solidifying the last real concern for the Bengals’ offense: the right side of the line. The veteran tackle and rookie guard seem to be developing chemistry and timing:

Needless to say, offensive line coach Frank Pollack deserves a lot of credit for the great improvement across the offensive line. Carman is just one of at least three pleasant surprises so far. Jonah Williams has elevated his game to the next level. And Quinton Spain has become one of the best guards in the league:

So, other than knowledge of the game, what has Pollack been doing? Well, for one, the line has been dining together every Thursday and is a lot closer as a result. We discussed that and more in our preview of Cincinnati’s upcoming game against the New York Jets.

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