Cincinnati Bengals sleepers – No. 1: Sam Hubbard
Last season, a lot of blame was placed on the offensive line and their inability to give Joe Burrow time. The fact that the line allowing too much pressure led to Burrow getting injured only increased the criticism.
While all of this is fair, the defense did not do much to help the Bengals succeed.
Cincinnati saw their best player on defense, Carl Lawson, leave in free agency and did what they could to replace him by bringing in Trey Hendrickson. This still leaves the Bengals as the predicted 25th best defense in the NFL for the upcoming season.
Someone (more likely many someones) is going to need to step up for this unit to turn it around.
The player that has the most potential to step up is Sam Hubbard.
The former Ohio State product just recently signed a new contract to stay with the Bengals with the hope that he continues to develop. Hubbard saw his sack and tackle totals dip dramatically this past season but if he can take a step forward and be a dominant force, Cincinnati might not be as bad on defense as previously imagined.
These three players will play a major role in the Bengals’ 2021 season. All three are well-known amongst Bengals fans but this is the year for them to take the next step toward being known outside of Cincinnati as well.