Sam Hubbard scored the first offensive touchdown of his career on Sunday, but he will likely not be able to follow up that performance with any further action in 2024. The veteran Bengals defensive end is dealing with a PCL injury, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. 
Given the nature of the injury, Fowler adds Hubbard is unlikely to return to game action this season. Three weeks remain in Cincinnati’s schedule, and the team sits at 6-8 on the year. While still mathematically possible, a wild-card berth is therefore highly unlikely. The 29-year-old noted it is a PCL tear but added he will not require surgery (h/t Fowler’s colleague Ben Baby).
Hubbard has spent his entire seven-year career in Cincinnati, serving as a full-time starter since his rookie season concluded. The former third-rounder has been a consistent presence along the edge over that span, working as a complementary option to Trey Hendrickson since the latter’s arrival. While Hendrickson currently leads the NFL with 12.5 sacks, Hubbard and the rest of the team’s other edge rushers have struggled to deliver notable production in that department. With only a pair of sacks this season, Hubbard is set to conclude this campaign with his lowest output since 2020.
The Ohio State product is under contract for next season; he is owed $9.6MM. Given the structure of the pact, however, the Bengals would save that amount in cap space will generating a dead money charge of only $2MM with a release before or after June 1. Hubbard’s situation could therefore be one to monitor as Cincinnati weighs a number of key financial decisions during the spring. In the meantime, Hubbard’s attention will turn to recovery.
In addition to Hendrickson, the Bengals have the likes of Myles Murphy, Joseph Ossai and sixth-round rookie Cedric Johnson as options along the edge. Hubbard has seen his playing time drop considerably over the past two seasons as the team attempts to develop younger options at the position. Those players will be in line for an increased workload to close out the campaign in Hubbard’s absence.