Bengals place DE Sam Hubbard on IR with elbow injury

It's been a rough week for the defensive line of the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Three days after coach Zac Taylor confirmed that defensive tackle D.J. Reader has been lost for the season with a quad injury, the club placed starting defensive end Sam Hubbard on injured reserve Thursday due to an unspecified left elbow problem. 

Because of a rule for the NFL season held amid the coronavirus pandemic, a player on IR must miss a minimum of three games. Hubbard, thus, will be sidelined for contests against the Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans. 

The 25-year-old out of Ohio State will be eligible to return for a showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 15. 

The Bengals selected Hubbard in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and he's accumulated 15.5 sacks across 36 regular-season appearances. He tallied 23 total tackles and a single sack this year before suffering the injury. 

While Cincinnati got Pro Bowl DT Geno Atkins back last Sunday after he missed the first four games of the season because of a shoulder injury, fellow DT Mike Daniels is out for up to two months with a bad elbow. DT Renell Wren is also on IR with an injured quad. 

Cincinnati signed veteran Xavier Williams earlier this week.