Bengals DE Sam Hubbard reveals personal goal for 2023 season
The Cincinnati Bengals' defensive line is chock-full of unheralded playmakers. From Trey Hendrickson off the edge, to DJ Reader clogging up the middle, it's a unit that stands tall compared to its opposition. Lest we forget about the Cincinnati native of the group. Sam Hubbard has gone from third-round pick and rotational player to full-time starter and one […]
The Cincinnati Bengals' defensive line is chock-full of unheralded playmakers. From Trey Hendrickson off the edge, to DJ Reader clogging up the middle, it's a unit that stands tall compared to its opposition. Lest we forget about the Cincinnati native of the group.
Sam Hubbard has gone from third-round pick and rotational player to full-time starter and one of the best edge-setters in the game. The number of better run defenders on the edge than him can be counted on a single hand.
Hubbard is a known commodity against the run, but the veteran is looking to be a more well-rounded player in what will be his sixth season this year.
While Hubbard told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com that the main goal is to win a Super Bowl title for his hometown, he does have a personal goal that seems very doable this season: Getting 10+ sacks in the regular season.
"I got double-digits in '21 including playoffs, but I want regular-season double-digits," Hubbard said. "I've been close. Last year I was on pace before I tore my calf … with (four) games to go and slowed me up."
In 75 career regular season games, Hubbard has amassed 30.5 sacks. His season-high of 8.5 came in 2019, the first year he was a starter for Lou Anarumo's defense. He's reached six or more in four of his five years, including last year when he registered 6.5.
Hubbard got his 6.5 in 13 games, so while he wasn't quite on pace for 10 like he said, he was pretty close. Interestingly enough, he was actually a better pass-rusher than Hendrickson was for the first four games of the year. His 19.1% win rate off the edge eclipsed Hendrickson's clip of 17.7%, and Hubbard recorded more pressures in that span of games.
The problem for Hubbard was that those pressures didn't translate to sacks until later on in the season. He actually notched 5.5 of his sacks during the last eight games up to when he injured his calf in Week 15.
A quicker start for Hubbard in the sacks department will allow him to achieve his goal, and obviously make the Bengals' defense more productive. Cincinnati finished 29th in the league in sacks last year. Any improvement from Hubbard would likely result in a needed jump for the team.
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