A fourth-round draft pick of the Bengals in 2021, Sample serves as a rotational DE with 47 games of regular-season experience (three starts) ... Has five career sacks (1.5 in 2023) and six TFLs ... Posted career-best 29 tackles in 2023 ... Has played in six postseason games, including all three following 2022 campaign ... First career postseason sack came on QB Patrick Mahomes in AFC Championship at Kansas City ... Spent four seasons (2017-20) at Tulane University and as a senior was rated as the most valuable defensive lineman in college football by Pro Football Focus.
Selected by Cincinnati in fourth round of 2021 NFL Draft (111th overall) ... Signed with Bengals on 5-17-21.
2021—Played in 14 regular-season games and three postseason games as a rookie ... Played 310 defensive snaps and totaled 14 tackles with 1.5 sacks ... Made NFL debut in season opener vs. Minnesota (no statistics) ... Recorded first career sack on Sept. 26 at Pittsburgh, taking down QB Ben Roethlisberger for five-yard loss in the first quarter ... Split a sack with S Vonn Bell on Dec. 5 vs. the L.A. Chargers ... Suffered hamstring injury on Dec. 26 vs. Baltimore and missed final two regular-season games ... Saw action on 67 defensive snaps in postseason ... Missed AFC Championship at Kansas City due to a groin injury, but returned to action in Super Bowl LVI (no stats).
2022—Played in 16 regular-season games with one start at LDE ... Recorded 25 tackles (17 solos), with four TFLs and two sacks ... On Sept. 25 at the N.Y. Jets, sacked QB Joe Flacco for a six-yard loss in the second quarter ... Posted four tackles on Nov. 27 at Tennessee, including a TFL on RB Dontrell Hilliard for five-yard loss in the fourth quarter ... Started at LDE on Dec. 24 at New England and tallied season-high six tackles, including a five-yard sack of QB Mac Jones on third down to force Patriots punt in second quarter ... Logged six tackles, with one sack, one TFL and a PD in postseason ... In AFC Championship at Kansas City, tackled RB Jerick McKinnon for a one-yard loss in the first quarter, then sacked Patrick Mahomes at line of scrimmage on third-and-one in the second quarter.
2023—Played in all 17 games, with two starts at LDE ... Started Game 9 vs. Houston and Game 10 at Baltimore with Sam Hubbard out due to injury ... Recorded career-high 29 tackles (18 solos), with 1.5 sacks and one TFL ... Added one PD in season finale vs. Cleveland ... On Oct. 15 vs. Seattle, sacked QB Geno Smith for loss of nine yards on final play of first half ... Tallied five tackles in first start on Nov. 12 vs. Houston.
Spent four seasons (2017-20) at Tulane ... Played in 46 career games (38 starts), and totaled 130 tackles and 11.5 sacks ... As a senior in 2020, totaled 52 tackles and a career-high six sacks, and was named by Pro Football Focus as college football's most valuable defensive lineman ... Earned Defensive MVP honors at the 2021 Senior Bowl.
Hometown is Snellville, Ga. (outside Atlanta), where he attended Shiloh High School ... As a senior, posted 50 tackles, four sacks, two FFs and a FR ... Shiloh High School also is the alma mater of former Bengals DE David Pollack ... Finance major at Tulane.
