Cincinnati still needs to get more out of its interior rotation, though. Josh Tupou has been solid, but the Bengals need guys like Zach Carter to step up.
Let’s take a look at the past performances of the Bengals’ defensive linemen, and how they are expected to stack up in 2023 with help from some analysis and data from Pro Football Focus.
This is the fourth in a series of pieces breaking down each position group for the Bengals. Next up: Linebackers.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN ON THE ROSTER
Projected starters: Sam Hubbard, D.J. Reader, B.J. Hill, Trey Hendrickson
Reserves: Zach Carter, Jeff Gunter, Myles Murphy, Joseph Ossai, Cam Sample, Jay Tufele, Josh Tupou
Others in the mix: Tarell Basham, Owen Carney, Domenique Davis, Raymond Johnson, Devonnsha Maxwell, Tautala Pesefea Jr.
HENDRICKSON BY THE NUMBERS
2022 stats: 32 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 24 quarterback hits, 8.0 sacks, three forced fumbles
PFF grades for 2022: Hendrickson ranked 15th of 119 edge players with a defense grade of 82.9, and he was 77th of 118 edge players in run defense grade (58.8), ninth of 115 players in pass rush grade (87.7) and ninth of 49 edge players graded in coverage (76.1).
PFF ranking for 2023: Hendrickson is ranked among the “Tier 2″ edge rushers in PFF’s rankings, at No. 9 overall with 32 total players ranked. He was in Tier 4 at No. 20 going into last season.
HILL BY THE NUMBERS
2022 stats: 68 tackles, four tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits, 3.0 sacks in 16 games
PFF grades for 2022: Hill ranked 37th of 127 defensive tackles with a defense grade of 68.7, and he was 39th of 143 tackles in run defense grade (65.2), 43rd of 92 players in pass rush grade (63.6) and seventh of 18 defensive tackles in coverage grade (61.5).
PFF ranking for 2023: Hill is ranked 30th in PFF’s Top 32 interior defensive linemen list.
HUBBARD BY THE NUMBERS
2022 stats: 60 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 22 quarterback hits, 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble, three passes defensed in 15 regular-season games
PFF grades for 2022: Hubbard ranked 45th of 119 edge players with a defense grade of 69.5, and he was 21st of 118 edge players in run defense grade (74.0), 86th of 115 players in pass rush grade (57.4) and 10th of 49 edge players graded in coverage (75.6).
PFF ranking for 2023: Hubbard is listed among the “Tier 5″ defensive ends, ranked 27th in PFF’s Top 32.
READER BY THE NUMBERS
2022 stats: 27 tackles, one tackle for loss, five quarterback hits, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries in 10 regular-season games
PFF grades for 2022: Reader ranked sixth of 127 defensive tackles with a defense grade of 85.2, and he was 22nd of 143 tackles in run defense grade (70.8), fifth of 92 players in pass rush grade (84.1) and had a 64.4 coverage grade (unranked).
PFF ranking for 2023: Reader is ranked ninth in PFF’s top 32 defensive tackles list.
FURTHER ANALYSIS
Having all four starters on the defensive line ranked among the top 32 at their position doesn’t mean anything until they actually do something to live up to that this season, but it’s a sign the Bengals have laid a strong foundation up front and they have potential to once again be disruptive to opposing offenses.
PFF ranks Cincinnati’s defensive line the 11th best in the NFL with analyst Zoltan Buday noting that Hendrickson and Reader are two of the best free-agent signings in recent years. The Eagles’ defensive line is his top-ranked unit.
“Hendrickson had his best season as a pro in 2022, as he ranked 15th at his position in PFF grade, while Reader graded in the top 10 for the third time in four years,” Buday wrote. “The unit also features one of the better edge defenders against the run in Sam Hubbard, while third-year edge defender Joseph Ossai might also play a bigger role in 2023.”
In PFF’s analysis on individuals at the interior defensive line position, Gordon McGuinness praised Reader as being vital to Lou Anarumo’s defense, but he also said Hill “was another smart free agency addition by the Bengals, a good all-around player on the interior of their defensive line. Through five seasons in the league, he has never finished with a PFF run-defense grade lower than 65.0. He is coming off a 2022 campaign in which he set a career high with 45 total pressures from 615 pass-rushing snaps.”
Behind the four starters, Ossai and Murphy seem like solid options to rotate on the edges, and now it’s a matter of getting more out of the interior backups. Hill was solid in his first season as a full-time starter but is at his best when kept reasonably fresh, and so far, no one really stands out behind him. A big Year 2 for Carter would be huge.
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