After being designated a non-starter for the first time since 2012, Carlos Dunlap appears headed back to the Bengals’ first unit. The Bengals placed defensive end Sam Hubbard on IR Thursday, sidelining the young pass rusher for at least three weeks.
An elbow injury will shelve Hubbard, who joined Carl Lawson as a Cincinnati D-end starter against Baltimore. Hubbard has played at least 60% of the Bengals’ defensive snaps this season, operating as the team’s busiest defensive lineman.
The Bengals have used Hubbard, a 2018 third-round pick, as a starter since last season. The Ohio State product registered a career-high 8.5 sacks last season. This placed second on the team behind Dunlap, who recorded nine.
Dunlap voiced frustration about his recent demotion, but Hubbard’s injury should lead to the Bengals’ all-time sack leader being back in the starting lineup in Week 6. Dunlap, who has made 115 starts in his 11-year career, played a season-low 46% of Cincinnati’s defensive snaps in Week 5 but did record his first sack of the season.