Bengals "TE" Mike Gesicki ran the team's third-most routes in Sunday night's loss to the Chargers. His 43 routes trailed only Ja'Marr Chase (55) and Tee Higgins (50), and constituted 76.8% of Joe Burrow's dropbacks. But Gesicki drew just 2 targets and caught nary a one. TEs Tanner Hudson and Drew Sample also garnered 2 targets apiece vs. L.A.
The Bengals on Sunday activated rookie TE Erick All from the non-football injury list. He had been sitting out the start of camp in working back from the October ACL tear that ended his college career prematurely.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow said recently that his offense should be ready to use more varied formations this season after some personnel changes. New OC Dan Pitcher highlighted TE as a position group he likes.
The Bengals grabbed Arizona TE Tanner McLachlan in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. A no-star recruit from Canada, McLachlan started his college career at FCS-level Southern Utah. His four years there included just 15 catches and a 2020 torn ACL. McLachlan missed the entire 2021 season and then transferred to Arizona. He turned in two productive seasons for the Wildcats, posting 34-456-2 and 45-528-4 receiving lines and passing Rob Gronkowski as the school’s all-time leader in receptions by a TE. McLachlan is a 6’5, 244-pounder and earned a solid 7.66 Relative Athletic Score at the Combine, highlighted by a 4.61-second 40 time. He’s a smooth athlete with reliable hands, but his route running needs refinement. That’s a bigger concern considering McLachlan is already 25 years old. He joins fellow rookie TE Erick All in Cincinnati, along with TEs Mike Gesicki, Tanner Hudson, and Drew Sample. It’s a fine landing spot, but McLachlan is well off the redraft radar and isn’t an exciting dynasty target.
The Bengals added Iowa TE Erick All in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. All’s college career was marred by injury. He needed spinal surgery in 2022 and then tore his right ACL this past October. He flashed at two different schools when he was healthy, though. All tallied 38 catches and 437 yards for Michigan in 2021 – both marks ranking second on the team. Then he led Iowa with 299 receiving yards this past year, despite missing the final seven games with that knee injury. In fact, All accounted for a whopping 36.6% of Iowa’s receiving yards in his seven outings. His 2.62 yards per route ranked third among 81 TEs with 30+ targets. Durability is a legitimate concern, but All is an intriguing sleeper in this rookie TE class. Landing with QB Joe Burrow only adds to that sleeper appeal. All joins Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, and Tanner Hudson in what should be a pretty wide-open TE room this summer. We’ll see who earns snaps.
Bengals TE Irv Smith (hamstring) is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Rams. Drew Sample steps in as Cincinnati's lead TE but is only viable in DFS tournaments.
Bengals TE Irv Smith (hamstring) is listed as doubtful for Monday night's game vs. the Rams. He seemingly hurt his hamstring on Friday and was limited in Saturday's practice. Smith should obviously be on fantasy benches for Week 3. His absence will leave Cincinnati with TEs Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox.
Bengals TE Hayden Hurst ran well ahead of #2 TE Drew Sample in Sunday's OT loss to the Steelers, playing 75% of the team's offensive snaps to Sample's 29%. More importantly, Hurst ran a route on 78.8% of Joe Burrow dropbacks, compared with Sample's rate of just 15.2%. Burrow's 53 pass attempts inflated volume for everyone, but Hurst's 8 targets ranked 3rd on the team and accounted for a solid 15.1% of total attempts. He caught 5 for 46 yards. Hurst looks like he belongs among the top 20 fantasy TEs going forward. Beyond that, we'll see -- including what Tee Higgins' return from a Week 1 concussion means for target shares.
Bengals TE Drew Sample left Thursday's practice on a cart after hurting his left knee. HC Zac Taylor told reporters Friday that he's only expected to miss a couple of weeks, though, with a mild sprain. That should put Sample on track to begin the season on time. Sample played in every game last year but tallied only 15 targets. Sample has performed well as a pass-blocker, though. So any regular-season absence could hamper that area. The Bengals have also been without new RT La'el Collins, as he works through a back issue.
Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah (knee, hip) is questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Browns. He didn’t practice all week and seems unlikely to play with Cincinnati resting starters in this one. Uzomah’s absence would leave Drew Sample as the Bengals’ top TE.
Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah declared himself 100% recovered from last year's torn Achilles and was a full-go in OTAs and minicamp, according to The Athletic's Paul Dehner. Uzomah opened last season as Cincinnati's starter, tallying 11 targets before going down in Week 2. Dehner confirms that Uzomah is expected to play ahead of TE Drew Sample this year -- assuming he regains pre-injury form. A pass-heavy Bengals offense helps Uzomah's fantasy outlook. But he figures to be battling RB Joe Mixon for the title of 4th option in the passing game behind WRs Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.
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