The Bengals have promoted TE Tanner Hudson from the practice squad to the 53 man roster. He takes the open spot left when RB Chase Brown was placed on IR.
This move does not come as a surprise, given the struggles that Irv Smith has been going through so far this season. Smith has missed some time with an injury, and when he has been on the field, his impact has been very minimal. He did get an opportunity to make a play near the goalline this past Sunday, but fumbled the ball. The fumble seems to have been the final straw.
Though Hudson has been on the practice squad, he has essentially been the backup receiving TE this year. Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox contribute mostly as blockers and on special teams, and it was Hudson who got the bulk of the work when Smith was out. In his limited sample size, Hudson has easily looked like the team’s best receiving threat at the position, and has also looked solid as a blocker in limited snaps.
While Hudson has officially been promoted, Irv Smith has not been cut, so it remains to be seen if this move is more of a warning to Smith, or if Hudson is a bigger part of their immediate plans. Either way, I think most would agree that Hudson should be seeing more snaps immediately.
With Hudson off of the practice squad, a spot there had been opened up. The Bengals have filled it by bringing back LB Clay Johnston.
Johnston first joined the Bengals when they claimed him off waivers during the 2021 season. In Cincinnati, Johnston was a quality special teamer, while also providing some solid snaps on defence when filling in for injury. Having him back is a good boost for the team’s LB depth.
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