How the Bengals got here at tight end and where they stand at the position

On the Cincinnati Bengals’ first series of the game on Sunday night, with the Bengals at the Bills’ 7-yard line, quarterback Joe Burrow had two reads on the play. If the Bills dropped back in zone coverage, then he had wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd running a route combination on the left side of the field. If they dropped back in man coverage, then Burrow knew that he was throwing a corner route to tight end Irv Smith Jr.

When the Bills played man coverage, Smith got his first touchdown of the season.

In the second quarter, Burrow saw tight end Drew Sample leaking out of the backfield after making a block. The Bills didn’t have anyone guarding him, and Burrow found him for a 22-yard touchdown.

The Bengals will build their offense around Burrow, Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. But on Sunday, as the Bengals’ tight ends combined for 101 yards in the unit’s first breakthrough game of the year, the Bengals showed how their tight ends can factor into a game.

“They're always a part of the plan,” Taylor said. “Some games, the ball is going to go that way, and some days it won't. (On Sunday), the ball went to some other people and (the tight ends) stepped up. That's what we needed.”

Amongst Smith, Sample, Tanner Hudson and Mitchell Wilcox, the Bengals entered this year without a proven starter. The Bengals loved Hayden Hurst, who shined in Cincinnati in 2022. But the Panthers offered him a significant contract with a lot of guaranteed money. As the Bengals prepared for quarterback Joe Burrow’s contract extension as well as other extensions in the future, the Bengals moved in a different direction at tight end with a starter who had a lower cap hit.

Former Las Vegas Raiders tight end Foster Moreau reportedly visited with the Bengals in the middle of March. Then Moreau was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. The Bengals agreed to a deal with Smith on March 28, which was nearly two weeks into free agency.

In the NFL Draft, the Bills traded up in the first round and picked Dalton Kincaid, who has made a big impact this season in Buffalo. The Bengals had the 29th pick and selected defensive end Myles Murphy over tight end Sam LaPorta, who’s averaging 54 yards per game as a featured player on the Detroit Lions.

That was the Bengals’ only chance in the draft to take an immediate contributor at the position. No rookie tight end who was taken after the 42nd pick has more than four catches this year. The Bengals didn’t draft a single tight end and moved forward with Smith, Sample, Hudson and Wilcox.

Irv Smith Jr. got through a slow start

The Bengals signed Smith in March because they believed in his ability to make that exact play, but this was the first time he made it happen. Smith had a quiet training camp and didn’t show the playmaking skills that the Bengals expected. He didn’t have specific strengths as a receiver or routes where he looked the best.

While signing Smith hasn’t played out as well as the team expected, Smith has been a better blocker than the coaches thought he would be. His biggest strength is that he’s almost always in the right position and running the right route. While Smith is having the worst statistical year of his career, he’s also the most versatile tight end on the Bengals.

“We look at the body of work, and Irv has done some really great things over the season that probably don't get written about because they're not all things that are splash plays,” Taylor said. “We've got a lot of confidence in Irv.”

Smith’s leaping touchdown catch on the opening drive in the first quarter last Sunday against the Bills was a sign of progress.

In Week 5, when the Bengals faced the Arizona Cardinals, the Bengals ran the exact same corner route for Smith in the end zone. The Bengals’ alignment at the line of scrimmage forced a linebacker to guard Smith in man coverage, which was exactly the matchup that the Bengals were looking for.On that play against the Cardinals, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan thought that Smith was going for a defensive pass interference call instead of going for the ball. He said that Smith “allowed himself to get contacted.”But against the Bills, even when Smith faced a much tougher matchup and had a safety defending him, he showed the aggressiveness that Callahan was looking for. “It was a textbook corner route against an outside leverage defender,” Callahan said.

Tanner Hudson earned an opportunity 

While Smith remains the official starter, Hudson was more of a featured receiver against the Bills. Hudson has bounced around the NFL because of his inconsistent blocking, but he showed the Bengals what he could do as a receiver from his first practice with the team.

The Bengals signed Hudson, a five-year veteran, to the practice squad last December. He immediately caught a fade and turned heads in practice. Hudson shined in training camp, and he kept making plays on the scout team this season after he didn’t make the initial 53-man roster.

“I thought Tanner, the week before we promoted him, had an outstanding week of practice,” Taylor said. “I remember him making plays in the red zone against our defense. You're watching it with (director of player personnel Duke Tobin) and saying, ‘This guy deserves an opportunity.’”

Hudson developed a quick rapport with quarterback Joe Burrow, and Burrow showed his faith in Hudson when he threw passes to Hudson into tight windows on third downs.

Hudson only played 16 snaps against the Bills. Callahan has said that Hudson lacks high-end traits, and Hudson’s limited speed, size and athleticism are the reasons he went undrafted. But Burrow trusts him, and the Bengals will likely continue to feature him.

“He has great awareness, understanding of coverage structures, zones and what it’s like for a quarterback,” Callahan said. “He knows how to be friendly for the quarterback. He makes himself available with his body language, his leverage and understanding of where he should slow down or speed up, when to go get a ball and when to use his body to get a catch. He’s really a savvy football player.”

Drew Sample rounds out the group

Sample made the biggest reception of his career and juked past a defender on his 22-yard touchdown against the Bills, but the Bills weren’t defending him because Sample doesn’t have much of a track record as a pass catcher.

Sample, who has been the team’s most impactful tight end this season, played more snaps than any Bengals tight end on Sunday because he’s a standout blocker. He’s a reliable pass protector for Burrow, and the Bengals know that Sample can line up anywhere on the field and know what he’s supposed to do. Even though he doesn’t catch a lot of passes, Sample has always made winning plays during his career with the Bengals.

“Drew Sample does all the nasty things for us,” Taylor said. “For him to make that play for a touchdown was special.”

On paper, the Bengals still have one of the worst tight end rooms in the NFL. Smith, Sample and Hudson have combined for just 216 yards all season. Last year, Hurst had 224 receiving yards on his own in one six-game stretch.

Down the stretch, Smith, Hudson, Sample and Wilcox will likely continue to platoon at the position and be on the field in situations where the Bengals can take advantage of their strengths. Hudson will play on most passing downs as a receiver, Sample will continue to be featured as a blocker and Smith will play when the Bengals are looking for a more versatile option in specific situations. Wilcox is a core special teamer.

The 2023 Bengals don’t plan to feature their tight ends much this year, but Sunday’s win over the Bills showed what it means for the Bengals' offense when the tight ends are capitalizing on their chances.

“All of us can go out there and make plays,each and every game,” Hudson said. “We just have to keep building that trust with ( Burrow) so that he knows he can come to us.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Where Irv Smith Jr., Tanner Hudson and Drew Sample stand at tight end