Bengals agree to terms with Cam Sample and D’Ante Smith, per report

The Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to terms with Cam Sample and D’Ante Smith, according to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson. They become the first 2021 NFL Draft picks Cincinnati has locked up.

This past season, the 6-3, 267-pound Sample earned First-Team All-American Athletic Conference honors after recoding 52 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and three pass breakups in 11 starts.

In 2019, he started all 13 games and racked up 44 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and four pass breakups. He started 11 games in 2018 while notching 40 tackles, six tackles for loss and four sacks, despite being plagued by an ankle injury.

The 6-5, 294-pound Smith began the 2020 season at left tackle but suffered an undisclosed injury that led to him eventually shutting it down. There were some medical red flags on him coming into the draft, but the Bengals felt he was worth taking a flyer on this late in the draft.

Smith started four games at left tackle and one at left guard during the 2017 season, then started every game at left tackle over the next two seasons.

Both Sample and Smith, who were each selected in Round 4 of this year’s draft, shined at Senior Bowl practices this offseason, which helped catch the eyes of Bengals coaches and scouts. While neither is currently projected to have a major role in 2021, Sample and Smith both have nice potential as developmental guys who could eventually take on significant roles as their rookie contacts play out.