Sample spent 2024 season on Reserve/Injured, after sustaining an Achilles injury during training camp ... A fourth-round draft pick of the Bengals in 2021, he has 47 games of regular-season experience with three starts at DE ... Has five career sacks (1.5 in 2023) and six TFLs ... Posted career-best 29 tackles in 2023 ... Also has played in six postseason games, including all three following 2022 campaign ... First career postseason sack was in 2022 AFC Championship at Kansas City ... Spent four seasons (2017-20) at Tulane University.
Selected by Cincinnati in fourth round of 2021 NFL Draft (111th overall) ... Signed with Bengals on 5-17-21 ... Bengals contract expired on 3-11-25; became unrestricted free agent ... Re-signed with Bengals as unrestricted free agent on 3-13-25.
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.
2024—Did not play ... Spent season on Reserve/Injured list due to Achilles injury.
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 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 ... Finance major at Tulane ... Shiloh High School also is the alma mater of former Bengals DE David Pollack.
