5 candidates who could lead the Bengals in sacks in 2023
- Could Cam Sample have a breakout year?
- Will Joseph Ossai get redemption for how his 2022 season ended?
- Trey Hendrickson seems destined to be the Bengals' sacks leader once again.
By Glenn Adams
2. Sam Hubbard
While you probably already know who will lead the team in sacks in 2023, we can also easily surmise who will be second in that category.
Sam Hubbard would love to challenge for the team’s sack crown. However, the Cincinnati Kid has yet to achieve that particular prize. Always the bridesmaid but never the bride when it comes to Hubbard leading the team in takedowns of opposing quarterbacks.
In Hubbard's rookie season, his six sacks were third-best on the roster. Since then, the former Ohio State Buckeye has finished second in sack totals every season. Carlos Dunlap, Carl Lawson, and Trey Hendrickson each got the best of Hubbard in that department over that time frame.
As much as we would like to see Hubbard and Hendrickson go back and forth for the team lead, racing to see who will hit 20 sacks in the season first, it is unlikely to happen. Unlikely, but not impossible.
So far in his career, the double-digit sack mark has eluded Hubbard. However, he has made it one of his goals this season.
Bengals DE Sam Hubbard eyeing double-digit sacks in 2023: "This is the best I've felt in my whole career by a landslide physically"https://t.co/sbHP3M9tQi pic.twitter.com/pYwBFEEuev
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) July 8, 2023
Hopefully, he’ll get there by Week 8, and the talk around town will be about who has the best chance of getting to 20 sacks between Hubbard and Hendrickson.
However, as history has taught us, there is a good chance that Hubbard will be second on the team in sacks again.