The Cincinnati Bengals have largely cycled through tight ends in the Burrow era, finally keeping one for several years with Mike Gesicki after he signed an extension following a successful 2024 season in stripes.
However, even with Gesicki playing well, the Bengals have missed having a do-it-all tight end who can go out and catch the ball just as well as he can stay in and block. Based on recent quotes, it seems like Joe Burrow is also excited to get Erick All Jr. back out there on the field.
“It’s
great to have him back,” Burrow said following a recent practice. “Obviously, he had a lot going on with his knee, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at him. He looks fit, fast, explosive. He’ll play a big role for us this year.”
As with the other tight ends on the Bengals roster, Hudson and Gesicki are essentially big receivers who rarely stay in to block, and Sample and Grandy are essentially extra linemen who largely stay in to block and rarely are primary targets on pass plays.
A couple of years ago, the Bengals attempted to remedy this by drafting All in the fourth round out of Iowa. Early in the season, it seemed as if he was really transforming the offense, as it was much less predictable what the Bengals would do with him on the field.
The new offensive dream died early on in 2024, though, as the reason Erick All fell in the draft struck again and he suffered an injury that not only knocked him out of the rest of 2024, but all of 2025 too.
Now, All is back, and if healthy, he can change the Bengals offense into an entirely different beast. The Bengals didn’t put all their eggs in the All basket, however; they drafted Jack Endries in the 2026 NFL Draft, who, like All, may have the potential to play as both a blocker and receiver.
The Bengals offense has been great under Burrow even without a do-it-all tight end, but having someone like that can only help the team, so hopefully All can stay healthy this year and going forward.
