The Cincinnati Bengals took a swing on Cameron Sample in the 2021 draft, using a fourth-round pick on the Tulane defensive lineman and hoping they had found a hidden gem. That bet never really paid off.
Sample was never a total bust, but he also never turned into the kind of player Cincinnati was looking for. His time with the Bengals ended after the 2025 season, and now he’s trying to reboot his career with the San Francisco 49ers.
That move has people around the league wondering whether San Francisco might get more out of him than Cincinnati ever did. Peter Panacy of Niner Noise made that case, pointing to 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek as the key factor.
"Cincinnati's reputation for bad defenses in recent years might've led to Sample's own reputation being tarnished," Panacy wrote. "...
Kocurek has the reputation for turning around the careers of castoff defensive linemen. The 49ers can look back at reclamation projects like Arden Key, Clelin Ferrell and others, who enjoyed career turnarounds under the coach's tutelage.
Perhaps Sample is merely the next in line... Should Kocurek beef up Sample's prowess for such a role, it wouldn't be a shock to see the defensive end make a significantly bigger impact than what he was ever able to offer the Bengals, previously."
For Bengals fans, that’s the part that stings. Sample spent four seasons in Cincinnati, missed the 2024 season because of an ACL injury, and still never became much of a factor. If he turns around and becomes a real contributor in San Francisco, it would be another painful reminder of how often defensive players have failed to develop in Cincinnati.
And that’s not a new storyline for this team. The Bengals’ issues on defense were on full display last season, when the unit was flat-out awful and kept costing them games. The front office has tried to add more talent on that side of the ball this offseason, but until that trend actually changes, skepticism is going to hang around.
Nobody is blaming Sample for any of it. But if he does find his footing with the 49ers, Bengals fans will have seen this movie before. And they know how it ends.
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