Other players who were cut include cornerback Allan George, wide receivers Hakeem Butler and Kwamie Lassiter II, running back Noah Cain, defensive end Andre Carter, linebacker Aaron Casey, safety Michael Dowell, quarterback Rocky Lombardi, offensive guard Eric Miller and defensive tackle Joshua Pryor.
NFL teams must submit their 53-man rosters by 4 p.m. Tuesday, and the Bengals are now down to 75 players.
Carman, a Fairfield High graduate, had started training camp as the backup to left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., but gradually started losing snaps after recording four penalties in the preseason opener. While Trent Brown and Amarius Mims both were dealing with injuries, two guards ended up supplanting him with Cody Ford and Jaxson Kirkland stepping in at the tackle positions to start the final two preseason games when regulars did not participate.
“He had his ups and downs,” Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack said of Carman after the first preseason game. “He struggled a little bit, he knows that. He’s working hard on some stuff to get his demeanor back in place to be more consistent with that to give him a chance to compete so he’s working hard. Kind of tough to be a hometown kid and get drafted by a team here. He’s got some stuff he’s working through.”
The Bengals had given Carman plenty of opportunities in his first three seasons to win starting roles, and he never was able to take advantage. He played in 29 total games, including eight starts.
In 2021 as a rookie, he played all 17 regular-season games and made six starts at right guard when he was needed to step in because of injury at the position, but he was replaced by Week 9.
Cincinnati dealt with more injuries on the offensive line late in the season as the Bengals won an AFC North title and made a run in the playoffs, but Carman only saw significant playing time in the AFC Championship game when he and Hakeem Adeniji rotated at right guard. He played four snaps on special teams in the Super Bowl.
In 2022, the Bengals signed Alex Cappa as their right guard, moving Carman to a competition with then-rookie Cordell Volson at left guard and the rookie won the job. Carman was inactive all but three regular-season games but was needed in the playoffs, including two starts.
Last season, he was considered in the mix at right tackle if Jonah Williams couldn’t make the transition from the left side but Carman ended up playing just 12 offensive snaps, all in the finale when the team had already been knocked out of a playoff spot.
Carman, who was a two-year starting left tackle at Clemson, is now a free agent.
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