Zach Carter Hoping to Take Big Step Forward in Bengals' Defensive Line Room: 'Sky is the Limit'

The 24-year-old is hoping to take a big step forward this season.

Zach Carter is now going through his first full offseason in the NFL following his rookie season. 

Phase one of the NFL offseason features a heavy emphasis on meetings, film, and getting into peak condition. Phase two allows teams to get on the field and physically go through position drills. There’s no pads or hitting just yet, so these types of practices give off a walk-through style theme.

The Zac Taylor/Joe Burrow era has brought life long fans back into Paycor Stadium and it has ignited a new fan base as the team continues making deep playoff runs.

When Taylor was hired in February 2019 the team was coming off of a very low attendance year seeing just 50,573 fans come out to games. During Taylor’s first season that number dipped even lower seeing an average of just 47,179 fans at games according to statistic.com.

Last year’s average attendance was its highest with an average of 66,247 people showing up to see the Cincinnati Bengals play. Taylor has clearly gained fans outside of the stadium, and he’s also gained fans inside the stadium. He and his staff have one of the lightest offseason schedules in the NFL, utilizing just seven of the 16 practice days last year.

“I think Zac does a good job of making sure players are taken care of, healthy,” Carter said. “You know the last two seasons we made it to the Super Bowl and the AFC Championship and those are long seasons. It’s good for the guys. It’s mentally refreshing and physically refreshing.”

In a 17-game season, health is wealth. That adage rings true year after year and one of Cincinnati’s big priorities every offseason is to go into opening month with as many players available and healthy as possible.

“It’s definitely better on your body,” Carter said. “When I first got here my rookie year I always wanted to work and grind and push, push push and all the vets were telling me, ‘Zac its a marathon it’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon. It’s a long season.’ I didn’t understand that.”

The Bengals drafted Carter in the third round last year out of Florida and there’s a plan for the 24-year old to see more playing time in 2023.

“I’m excited for this season, ready to get back to it, veteran B.J. Hill said. “I know Zach Carter will be taking more snaps this year, he was young last year. He just had to learn a little bit how the game works and stuff like that so in his second year he’s going to be just fine he’s going to pick up a lot more snaps this year.”

In Cincinnati’s third preseason game against the Rams, Carter flashed his skill set at the pro level. He used an outside swim move to take down Bryce Perkins on 3rd-and-6 and stripped the ball in the process.

Carter started nine games last year and played in 16, finishing with 23 tackles (10 solo) and half a sack. Last year’s numbers were low due to snap count and getting acclimated to the speed of the game, but Carter is expected to make a significant jump now that the game has slowed down for him mentally.

“This game is 90% mental especially on this level," Carter said. “You spend more time in the meeting rooms than you do on the actual field during the week. Going through that first year I feel mentally sharp. I just know that I’m going to play faster this year, I know what to look for, I’m not thinking too much.”

Carter admits that he had a habit of overthinking in his rookie year. That habit has a reputation for killing a players speed and hampering his trust in his own knowledge of the verbiage and the game which then leads to the inability to make the potential plays he was drafted to showcase.

“Just thinking too much instead of reacting and it’s kind of like that first year like that first year in college again. I wish I started a little faster but that jump from year one to year two is usually the biggest jump so I’m looking forward to that.”

The potential is there, the ceiling is high for Carter, and that dangerous swim move could be on display a lot more often in 2023 as Cincinnati aims to reach their second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons.

“I already know I’ve got it physically, it’s that mental part,” Carter said. “Now that I’ve got that I just ride that out, put in some more film study this year, all the little things I learned last year, apply that and the sky is the limit."

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