Could Patriots Add This Former Second-Rounder After Bengals Release?

Eliot Wolf expects the Patriots will be aggressive on the waiver wire given New England sits third on the priority list.

The Patriots have a few positions where they can look to improve their depth, including on both the offensive and defensive lines.

Perhaps Jackson Carman is an offensive lineman New England could be interested in?

Carman on Friday was released by the Cincinnati Bengals after preseason struggles. He predominantly played guard for the Bengals in each of his first three seasons but worked more at offensive tackle this preseason after playing left tackle for the Clemson Tigers.

Carman could not compete with the top of Cincinnati's depth chart, headlined by left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and right tackle Trent Brown. The Bengals also have 2024 first-round offensive tackle Amarius Mims, though he is expected to miss several weeks with a strained pectoral muscle.

No player available on the waiver wire is a sure thing, of course. But Carman might have some athletic traits that entice the Patriots.

The 24-year-old Carman, who measures at 6-foot-5 and 322 pounds, was a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Ironically, he was drafted 46th overall, a pick previously held by the Patriots before New England traded up with Cincinnati and selected Christian Barmore.

Carman played all 17 regular-season games his rookie season (six starts) and saw work in Cincinnati's four playoff games. He was on the field for 42% of Cincinnati's offensive snaps, but those reps noticeably declined in 2022 (2%) and 2023 (10%).

It's clear Carman has not lived up to his draft slot. But maybe a return to offensive tackle will be good for Carman and perhaps the Patriots. After all, New England has thrown out a handful of different offensive tackle combinations this preseason and clearly has not yet landed on their starting group.