Following a third straight season without making the playoffs, the Cincinnati Bengals decided it was time to invest heavily in their defense.
That led to a large infusion of talent, which then turned into quarterback Joe Burrow calling it the most talented Bengals team he’s been on.
Unfortunately, for some of the remaining pieces from last year’s team, the addition of talent also meant fewer roles available. Perhaps that led to the departure of veteran defensive end Cameron Sample, who was not re-signed by Cincinnati this offseason.
Now, the former Bengals starter has joined an NFC team.
Former Cincinnati Bengals Starter Signs With Atlanta Falcons
It has been a tumultuous offseason for former Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Cameron Sample, as he signed with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency; however, he was released at the start of the team’s training camp. Fortunately for the veteran, he has now joined a new team as he signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
Regarding Sample’s time with the Bengals, Bengals Wire’s Chris Roling wrote: “Sample, a fourth-round pick by the Bengals in 2021, had spent every prior season in Cincinnati and was a key rotational depth piece when healthy. He played in 61 games, registering seven sacks and 85 combined tackles.”
Sample was a strong contributor, particularly against the run, in his first three seasons with the team. He unfortunately suffered a season-ending Achilles injury that kept him out of the 2024 season. Sample then re-signed with the Bengals on a one-year contract prior to the 2025 season.
Sample’s devastating injury appeared to have affected his level of play in 2025. He received below-average grades in run defense and pass rushing from Pro Football Focus. Sample started two games for Cincinnati last season and appeared in a total of 14 games.
Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Ends
After the 49ers cut ties with Sample last week, Cincinnati could have gone after its former player, especially with Shemar Stewart out for a few weeks; however, it appears the team opted against it despite the team’s pass-rusher group not receiving rave reviews.
CBS Sports’ Carter Bahns ranked Cincinnati’s edge rusher group as the third-worst in the NFL. Bahns wrote: “While the rest of the Bengals’ defense improved on paper this offseason, the edge rusher group said farewell to its leader, Trey Hendrickson. Mafe is an upside-oriented addition who will not fully replace Hendrickson’s pass-rushing prowess, but who displayed flashes of greatness as a young starter for the Seattle Seahawks. The rest of the crew, plus second-round pick Cashius Howell, is extremely young. Cincinnati is banking on its last few drafts starting to pay off. It just might pay dividends, but it is impossible to know for sure until it actually happens.”
After losing Trey Hendrickson in free agency, the team’s top addition to replace him was former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Boye Mafe. Mafe was recently rated as the 24th best edge defender in the NFL by Pro Football Focus’ Gordon McGuinness, who wrote: “Mafe’s performance dropped a bit in his fourth season in the league, but he did still earn a PFF grade above 70.0 for the third straight season. In 2023, he set career highs with 58 pressures and a 77.8 PFF pass-rush grade, while his best season as a run defender came in 2024, also coming in at 77.8. If Mafe can combine those highs in a single season, then he can become a force on a Bengals defensive line that lost Trey Hendrickson to free agency this year.”
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