Bengals' Tra Carson looking for room on an NFL roster

This week, The Enquirer takes a look at a handful of players to watch for in Saturday night's second preseason game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium.

Today: Running back Tra Carson

Tra Carson quietly sat on the back of a cart near the beginning of Monday’s practice, still in his pads, an ice bag resting on his left foot.

Sitting by himself, he stared through the corporate hospitality tents and beyond the tree line – a look as distant as the Ohio River winding West.

The second-year running back eventually returned to the Bengals sideline during practice, but it was a blow for Carson on the day that veteran Cedric Peerman returned from the non-football injury list.

The 24-year-old Carson was making a name for himself through the offseason camps and in his first preseason game on Friday, rushing eight times for 32 yards (4.0 average) and finding a role on special teams.

“I did a good job in the game – I think there was maybe one or two runs I could have been more patient on,” he said. “This year I was more relaxed and I feel like I’ve grown since (last year). The speed of the game is slower than what it was.”

The Bengals like the 5-foot, 11-inch, 231-pound undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M, and Carson was rewarded for a year on the practice squad by being signed to the 53-man roster in advance of the team’s final regular season game against Baltimore last year (he was not active).

Should the injury not be serious and Carson is ready for action against Kansas City on Saturday, he knows he has to make sure he not only is assignment-sound on offense but to continue to be reliable on kick return and kick coverage.

“That’s definitely a big focus of mine, to try to make plays on special teams and just make plays in the positions they put me in,” Carson said. “That’s definitely my main focus, actually.”

On the Bengals, it’s a role that has long been Peerman’s, the ninth-year pro who was a Pro Bowl special teams selection in 2015.

In a running backs room that includes three, second-round picks in Giovani Bernard, Jeremy Hill and Joe Mixon – Carson knows the numbers game all too well when it comes to being only considered a running back.

So he’s looked to his veteran teammate as an example of how to navigate his way into the NFL.

“You definitely want to watch Ced Peerman when you’re coming in and you are a young guy. He comes in every day, he knows what to do, he works extremely hard so when you come in you’re going to notice him off the rip, like, oh that’s Ced Peerman, that’s how he does things. You want to try to mimic him as much as you can. Ced has been the ultimate help, also. He helps in any way he can."

Last preseason, Carson led the team with 85 rushing yards playing in all four games. It led to a chance to stick on the practice squad, which rolled into this year. Carson is more comfortable with himself, the offense and Darrin Simmons’ special teams group – he’s hoping to not only keep the eyes open of the Bengals coaches but pop on film for others as well.

“You want to go into it and try to maximize every opportunity,” Carson said. “The main thing is you don’t want to try to do too much. You wanted to make a play within the assignment. That’s the main thing. That’s the only thing I can control – did I do my assignment? That’ it. That’s all you can worry about.”