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The Cincinnati Bengals have a handful of breakout candidates going into the 2020 season.
There’s Jonah Williams at left tackle. Jessie Bates has shown elite potential at safety. John Ross has flashed.
And then there’s defensive end Sam Hubbard.
Over at The Athletic, Jeff Zrebiec and Ben Standig asked beat writers for each team to identify the next big breakout.
For the Bengals, Jay Morrison tapped Hubbard:
“Still, Hubbard upped his sack total to 8.5 on 19 pressures. The new Bengals coaching staff and teammates consistently raved about Hubbard, holding him up as an example of a player who does everything right every day and everywhere, from the weight room to meetings to practices to Sundays. Hubbard will be wearing a captain’s C before long and if the Bengals can be more competitive and start playing with leads, Hubbard could be poised for a breakout season in which his sack total climbs well above double digits.”
Hubbard does seem a little more intriguing than most breakout candidates. He didn’t see a ton of usage under Marvin Lewis in his first season (45 percent of the snaps), yet still put up six sacks.
Last year as a sophomore, Hubbard got in on 80 percent of the snaps, upping his sack count to 8.5 and his pressure count to 19, all while learning new roles and even dropping into coverage in Lou Anarumo’s multiple scheme.
In an ideal world, Anarumo would probably like to use Hubbard the way Pittsburgh throws T.J. Watt all over the place. And the third-round pick has quietly hinted he might just have that in him.
If that materializes and guys like Ross and Bates don’t hit consistent elite-level play, Hubbard will easily be the team’s biggest breakout.
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