Bengals Depth Chart Preview: Diverse skill sets at tight end remain headlined by familiar names

The Cincinnati Bengals have an intriguing tight end room, and it'll have to remain a creative bunch without Erick All Jr. for the season. All was supposed to be handed the keys entering this offseason before a re-tearing of his right ACL took him out, sidelining him until 2026 at the earliest. Without him for the year, […]

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer
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Cincinnati Bengals tight end Drew Sample (89) runs with a catch in the second quarter of the NFL Week 16 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. The Bengals led 17-0 at halftime.
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Drew Sample (89) runs with a catch in the second quarter of the NFL Week 16 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. The Bengals led 17-0 at halftime. © Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Bengals have an intriguing tight end room, and it'll have to remain a creative bunch without Erick All Jr. for the season. 

All was supposed to be handed the keys entering this offseason before a re-tearing of his right ACL took him out, sidelining him until 2026 at the earliest. Without him for the year, Cincinnati will go forward with players who seem to balance each other's strengths.

The next installment of our Bengals depth chart preview series looks at the tight end position, and the potential roster decision below the top three names.

Bengals Tight End Depth Chart

  1. Drew Sample
  2. Mike Gesicki
  3. Cam Grandy
  4. Tanner Hudson
  5. Tanner McLachlan
  6. Kole Taylor 

The starters: Sample, Gesicki. It depends on the formation, no? Sample is the true starter in the traditional inline "Y" role and will end up playing more snaps on average than Gesicki, but the Bengals aren't afraid of rolling both of them out there with the latter detached from the trenches. Gesicki proved his value as a big slot receiver, and the possibilities of featuring him are more expansive now that he's locked in for the next few years. He'll leave the blocking to Sample on early downs.

First off the bench: Grandy. What a surprise this guy was last year. When All went down with his injury, Grandy was called up from the practice squad and immediately became one of the team's two-best blockers at the position. He'll continue to be needed in traditional 12 personnel looks as an inline blocker along with Sample. 

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The rest: Hudson and McLachlan each bring receiving abilities similar to Gesicki. Both of them made the roster last year, but that was likely to ensure McLachlan could be stashed instead of risking him lost to the waiver wire. Taylor is this year's undrafted free agent rookie of the room.

Who will make the 53-man roster: Sample, Gesicki, Grandy, McLachlan. Hudson had his moments in the offense in 2023, but McLachlan is expected to take a step forward in his second year and should bring more to the table than his more experienced counterpart. He has three years remaining on his rookie contract as well, which should incentivize this decision even more. 

Practice squad prediction: Taylor. Easy prediction here as he's the only rookie of the group. Hudson could feasibly stick around this way, but he might have roster opportunities elsewhere. 

Previous Position Depth Chart Previews

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