A former Clemson star had a big day on the defensive side of the ball in his NFL team’s Week 5 victory.

Linebacker Barrett Carter helped lead the Cincinnati Bengals to a 31-24 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Carter tallied a team-high 11 total tackles — tied for the most of any player in the game — including five solo tackles and six assisted tackles.

The 6-foot, 231-pound Carter filled up the stat sheet, registering one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit and one sack (for an 8-yard loss on quarterback Malik Willis).

Carter made an important defensive play during the game by thwarting a Miami touchdown threat with his sack on second-and-goal from the Cincinnati 3-yard line in the third quarter. The sack helped force the Dolphins to settle for a field goal that cut their deficit to 11 points, instead of a touchdown that would have made it a one-possession game.

Carter, 23, entered Sunday’s game ranking second on the Bengals with 30 total tackles over the first four games of the 2026 season, including a half-sack and 3.5 tackles for loss. He also had two passes defended and a forced fumble.

A two-time All-American, two-time All-ACC honoree and 2024 Butkus Award finalist, Carter was selected 119th overall in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Bengals and is now in his second NFL campaign.

As a rookie last season, Carter appeared in all 17 games for Cincinnati, starting 12 of them. He tied for second on the team with 106 total tackles, while also posting four passes defended and an interception.

In Sunday’s game against Miami, fellow former Clemson defensive standout Dexter Lawrence contributed four tackles, including a tackle for loss.

The Bengals (3-2) have a bye in Week 6 before returning to action on Sunday, Oct. 25 with a road game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7.