Cincinnati Bengals Position Overview: TE
Players:
88. Hayden Hurst
89. Drew Sample
84. Mitchell Wilcox
81. Thaddeus Moss
86. Nick Eubanks
82. Scotty Washington
87. Justin Rigg
The Bengals will have some unfamiliarity at the TE position for the first time in a while. Tyler Eifert had been the longtime starter, and by the time he left, CJ Uzomah had already been with the team for several years. He was ready to take over. Uzomah had been one of the vocal leaders on the team, and a solid statistical producer, as well. However, this offseason, he departed for New York, getting a nice contract from the Jets.
The Bengals did not add a TE in the draft, instead opting to replace Uzomah in free agency. Former Ravens 1st round pick Hayden Hurst was brought in. Hurst had spent the last couple of seasons with the Falcons. He is the unquestioned starter in this offence, and I see him bringing something similar to what Uzomah brought. Hurst isn’t someone who will be a focal point in any offence, but he is quietly a solid receiver. His production should be similar to what Uzomah did last year, or perhaps more if an improved o-line leads to more production for the offence in general.
Drew Sample is 2nd on the depth chart. Barring injuries, his role as a pass catcher will be very minimal. However, he should continue to see a number of snaps in a blocking role. His ability as a blocker is a big thing that attracted the Bengals to him when they drafted him, and he has been more than solid in that role thus far.
The remaining players will likely be battling it out for the third spot. I expect the team to only keep 3 TE’s on the roster, so the losers of the battle will likely be vying for a spot on the practice squad.
Mitchell Wilcox seems to have the edge at the moment. None of the back-end players stand out, and Wilcox held the third spot last year. His ability on special teams has landed him in Darrin Simmons’ good book and very well could continue to earn him more opportunities.
Thadd Moss will also be competing. However, his limited athletic profile and smaller size for a TE put him at a disadvantage. As well, up to this point, he hasn’t shown much as a special teamer. He will need to either show improvement in that category, or really stand out offensively if he wants to beat out Wilcox.
Scotty Washington and Nick Eubanks are both interesting. Washington has been with the team off and on over the past couple of seasons. Most of that time has been spent as a WR, but he recently converted to a TE. He is largely unknown at this point, but there may be some upside. He could be a dark horse in the battle for the 3rd spot, but one on the practice squad seems more likely.
Eubanks is in a similar boat. The practice squad seems like his most likely destination, but he could be a dark horse candidate for the roster. He has a good athletic profile, but was raw coming out of college. There is potential for him to impress if improvements have been made.
Justin Rigg rounds out the group. I would consider the rookie UDFA to be the longest shot to make the team. While he has a soft pair of mitts, his underwhelming athletic profile limits his receiving upside. He was a good blocker in college, and has a pretty big frame. However, with a guy like Drew Sample almost certain to make the roster, how likely is it for the Bengals to keep Rigg over someone with more offensive upside like Washington or Eubanks?
