Rookie Hodge sees stock rise in Bengals camp
In May, back when Darius Hodge was an undrafted free agent linebacker who was a long shot to make the Cincinnati Bengals out of training camp, defensive line coach Marion Hobby put the linebackers through a pass-rushing drill.
Hobby remembers Hodge twisting his arms, getting under a pad and accelerating toward the spot where the quarterback would be. It was an impressive rep, so impressive that after a few coaches saw it, they brought it up in a coaches meeting.
That meeting ended with a decision that the Bengals would convert Hodge from a linebacker into an edge rusher.
“When I came in, I wasn't really a pass rusher,” Hodge said. “They helped me learn the plays, they helped me with my moves. The whole defensive line gave me something to look for to keep playing the defensive line the right way.”
Since OTAS, Hodge has become the Bengals' most surprising edge rusher this preseason. During the first two preseason games, Hodge had a sack, three tackles and six quarterback hits.
After rookie edge rusher Joseph Ossai suffered a potentially season-ending knee injury, there's an opening on the Bengals' first-team pass-rush unit. Hodge is in contention to fill that role where he would rush the passer alongside the starters, Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson.
“Sometimes coaches start pulling players from other positions and try to get them in their group if they think they can rush,” Hobby said. “Hodge showed those traits. Every day we evaluate talent in our meetings and talk about what guys can do and what they can't do. He showed us he could rush the passer.”