It’s now official. On Friday morning, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor confirmed that tight end C.J. Uzomah will miss the remainder of the year with a torn Achilles tendon. Uzomah will be placed on injured reserve, freeing up a spot on the club’s active roster.
Uzomah seemed on course for a big year after catching eight of Joe Burrow‘s eleven targets for 87 yards and a touchdown. Now, he’ll have to turn his focus to 2021. In the interim, Drew Sample seems poised for a larger role in the offense, and the Bengals will likely look to add another tight end off the bench to join Cethan Carter. Fortunately, the Bengals are rostering two tight ends on their expanded practice squad in Mitchell Wilcox and Mason Schreck.
Through two games, Burrow has been dialed in on Uzomah and wide receiver Tyler Boyd, who has eleven grabs for 105 yards and 1 TD thus far. It’s possible that Sample will absorb all of Uzomah’s would-be looks, and he might be able to capitalize on them in similar fashion. As a rookie last year, Sample registered just five receptions through nine games. Now, he’s looking like more than a blocking TE. Last night, he finished out with seven catches for 45 yards.