It might be best for onlookers and fans of the Cincinnati Bengals to get to know the name Darius Hodge.
Hodge had himself a strong, albeit quiet stretch of training camp with the Bengals after going undrafted. Given the newfound depth along the defensive line, his quiet performance wasn’t getting a ton of attention.
But he used Saturday night’s preseason win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to break all the way out, recording 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hits.
As Andrew Russell pointed out, Hodge ended up leading the list of highest-graded defenders at Pro Football Focus, besting even third-round rookie breakout Joseph Ossai:
Highest Graded Bengals on defense from last night (min. 20 snaps):
1. Darius Hodge: 89.9 👀
2. Joseph Ossai: 89.6 👀
3. Amani Bledsoe: 77.3— Andrew Russell (@PFF_AndrewR) August 15, 2021
Hodge still has a ways to go before making the final roster, meaning more performances like this and looking good in camp. But here’s on a hot, fast start that could see him making an impact in the regular season soon enough.
