Major injury will prevent Cincinnati Bengals' key depth piece from playing the last year of his contract

Cincinnati Bengals edge defender Cam Sample isn't going to be playing football for a while.

Per head coach Zac Taylor, Sample suffered an Achilles tear and will be out for the season.

Sample, Cincinnati's fourth-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, went down during the Bengals' second padded practice on Thursday and had to be carted off the field . He was seen moving around with a scooter following practice, but his exact injury was unknown until Taylor announced it Monday afternoon.

Sample was revealed to be one of the team's top four defensive ends in the first depth chart of the season despite his injury last week. He had a great chance of making the team if he was healthy, and now his football future is hanging in the balance.

Cincinnati's next step with Sample

The four-year rookie contract Sample has been playing on will expire next March, and he'll become a free agent for the first time. After not playing an entire season for the Bengals, it's far from a guarantee that they'll want to re-sign him. It's possible he simply doesn't find a new team until he's fully cleared to play again, which could be deep into the 2025 offseason.

Cincinnati can either place Sample on the Reserve/Injured list, or waive him with an injury designation to make him available much sooner for other interested teams. Keeping him on I.R. would ensure he earns his base salary of $1.055 million by staying on the team. This is the likely route the Bengals will take.

Who replaces Sample on the roster?

Sample's replacement on the active roster might be rookie Cedric Johnson. One of two sixth-round picks the Bengals made this year, Johnson was already in a position to challenge Sample during the preseason and potentially push him off the roster altogether. If Johnson strings together quality outings this month, he'd be in line to take Sample's spot. Third-year player Jeff Gunter is also a candidate in this new battle. Starters Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard are obvious roster locks along with Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai.

The Bengals have dealt with injuries to start the ramp up to Week 1, but what happened with Sample will have true ramifications for the entirety of the season. Maintaining depth at edge defender will be of major importance going forward.

Related: Bengals Roster Breakdown: Jeff Gunter keeps chipping away for another chance off the edge