Tanner Hudson

Bengals To Re-Sign TE Tanner Hudson

Coming into free agency in need of a new tight end depth chart, the Bengals may be close to finished restocking the position. The team’s 2024 tight end group will look similar to its 2023 contingent.

After re-signing Drew Sample, the Bengals have an agreement in place to bring back Tanner Hudson, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Hudson agreed to a one-year contract Friday. Hudson, who initially landed with the Bengals in 2023, is coming off his best receiving season.

Outside addition Mike Gesicki will join Hudson and Sample. While a rookie could be added to supplement this trio, the Bengals appear to have their top three tight ends under contract. Gesicki will offer the highest receiving ceiling among this trio, with Sample the top blocking presence. But Hudson accounted himself fairly well succeeding Hayden Hurst as the Bengals’ top pass catcher last season. Despite Hurst and C.J. Uzomah being available once again, the Bengals are largely sticking with their 2023 tight end plan.

A UDFA out of Southern Arkansas, Hudson emerged as an unlikely player to lead Bengals tight ends in receiving yards. The team signed Hudson to its practice squad in December 2022, but after a reserve/futures deal commitment, he did not make the 2023 Bengals’ roster. The team promoted the 29-year-old pass catcher from the practice squad last year, and he led the team’s TEs in yardage — despite Cincinnati rostering Irv Smith Jr. — by nearly 200. Hudson had never previously cleared 150 receiving yards in a season.

The Bengals have opted not to allocate notable funds at tight end for a bit, bringing in Hurst and Smith on low-cost one-year contracts. Sample signed a three-year, $10.5MM deal earlier this week. With Joe Burrow the NFL’s highest-paid player and Tee Higgins on a franchise tag, it makes sense the Bengals are keeping costs low in other areas. The team also move Joe Mixon‘s reworked contract off the books this week, trading him to the Texans after signing Zack Moss on a cheaper accord.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/1/23

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

  • Signed to active roster: OL Chris Glaser

With the Chiefs adding Mecole Hardman and eyeing a WR crunch, the team reportedly shopped James last week. A trade didn’t end up happening, and with the wideout sitting on IR, the team has decided to designate him for return. After resurfacing last year with the Giants, James signed a one-year deal worth $1.23MM with the Chiefs back in April. He got into Kansas City’s first two games, hauling in one six-yard catch.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/30/23

Saturday’s gameday elevations and other minor moves ahead of tomorrow’s slate of Week 4 games:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Walker’s elevation comes amidst a degree of uncertainty regarding Deshaun Watson‘s Sunday availability. The latter is dealing with a shoulder injury, but he has expressed confidence he will be able to suit up. In the event he is unable to play, though, Walker will provide insurance under center. NFL Network’s James Palmer reports Watson will be a game-time decision.

Chosen, formerly Robbie Anderson, made his Dolphins debut in Week 3, scoring a 68-yard touchdown on his only catch. His performance – along with other depth wideouts currently being sidelined for Miami – will give the 30-year-old a longer look with his new team.

Gore’s elevation will give him the chance to see regular season game action for the first time since 2021. The former UDFA recorded 361 scrimmage yards with the Chiefs that season, but a subsequent IR stint marked the end of his time in Kansas City. Gore has since spent time on the Saints’, and now Commanders’, taxi squads. Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post notes that fellow depth back Chris Rodriguez has bee ruled out with an illness, opening the door to Gore seeing limited snaps.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/25/23

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Sinnett joined the Bengals’ practice squad late last week. This move preceded A.J. McCarron‘s return by one day. Joe Burrow is in uniform tonight, but the Bengals will take advantage of the emergency third QB rule by bumping Sinnett up to the active roster. Jake Browning is in place as Burrow’s backup.

After the Jets and Steelers waived Mann this year, he secured another chance in Philly. The team brought Mann onto its practice squad last week, moving their punter of the past two seasons — Arryn Siposs — off their roster. Mann is in his fourth NFL season; the former sixth-round pick served as the Jets’ punter from 2020-22.

With Quez Watkins inactive, Allen received his first opportunity to suit up for an NFL game. The two-time Olympian 110-meter hurdler has been on the Eagles’ practice squad for the past two seasons. A former wideout at Oregon, Allen devoted much of his 20s to track, becoming one of the best 110 hurdlers in U.S. history. Since landing on the Eagles’ 90-man offseason roster in 2022, Allen has worked as a two-sport athlete.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC North

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These BengalsBrownsRavens and Steelers moves are noted below.

Cincinnati Bengals

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Baltimore Ravens

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Cleveland Browns

Claimed:

Placed on IR:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Released:

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Bengals Reduce Roster To 53, Place T La’el Collins On Reserve/PUP List

The Bengals have worked their way down to the 53-man roster limit. Here are the moves made on Tuesday to finalize their initial squad:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Placed on IR:

Collins will miss at least the first four weeks of the season given his PUP designation. The former Cowboy signed a three-year, $21MM deal in free agency last offseason to operate as Cincinnati’s right tackle starter. His play in his debut season was underwhelming, however, and that role will belong to Jonah Williams this season, unless the latter misses time or Collins usurps him on the depth chart. A knee injury is to blame for Collins’ missed time, per the team.

Both Pesefea and Tell will miss the entire season, as is the case for all players placed on IR before being named to the initial 53-man roster. They will either remain with the organization during the campaign, or be released via an injury settlement which would allow them to find a new opportunity elsewhere.

Jones represents a more experienced cut than most of the other players let go. The former second-rounder has 57 games and 27 starts to his name, and he split his time between the Seahawks and Raiders last season. Moving on from Jones further signals the team’s intention of relying on younger options like Cam Taylor-Britt and rookies DJ Turner and DJ Ivey in the secondary.

Losing Adeniji (unless he clears waivers and is retained via the practice squad, as will no doubt be the case for many of the players listed above) would leave the Bengals thin along the O-line, especially in light of the Collins news. The 2020 sixth-rounder has experience at multiple positions up front, but his level of play has been a contributing factor in the team’s urgency in pursuing free agent blockers in recent years.

AFC Notes: Raiders, Pats, Jets, Bengals

As we inch closer to the start of the regular season, the Raiders‘ eventual 53-man roster is starting to come into focus. Two players in particular appear to be securing their positions for the team’s lineup come Week 1, according to Tashan Reed of The Athletic.

Wide receiver DeAndre Carter has definitely taken advantage of his opportunities throughout camp this preseason. In the team’s second preseason game, Carter started in the slot in place of Hunter Renfrow, who sat out for the game. He didn’t put up notable stats from the position, but he really shined in a special teams role. He had a strong opening kick return and was inches away from a punt return for a touchdown, as well. The coaches’ faith in him to start in place of Renfrow combined with his return ability has virtually cemented his spot on the roster, according to Reed.

Another player on the rise is veteran guard Greg Van Roten, who seems to have surpassed Alex Bars for the starting job at right guard. Van Roten started the team’s most recent preseason game at right guard for a single series before being replaced by Bars, signifying the changing of the guard, pun not intended. Bars, who started most of last season for the team at right guard, may be in danger of failing to make the 53-man roster if he keeps sliding down the depth chart.

Here are a few more roster rumors from around the league as the preseason begins its close:

  • The Patriots have struggled as of late with drafting wide receivers. They’re looking to buck that trend this season. In a room that was originally looking weak when the team missed out on free agent De’Andre Hopkins, New England is newly flushed with possibilities. The team lacks elite top end talent, but behind JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker, the Patriots have a surprising number of options. Kendrick Bourne has seemingly secured a role as the team’s third wideout with a great camp, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe, and behind Bourne, rookie sixth-round picks Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte have made strong cases for roster spots themselves with impressive camps. Even undrafted rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham has reportedly shown enough versatility and promise on offense and special teams to make a case for a roster spot.
  • With the recent acquisition of free agent Dalvin Cook, the Jets top-two running backs are clear as day, but in the process, the extra body has made things a bit crowded in the position room. Brian Costello of the New York Post believes that rookie fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda is likely safe, leading to a battle for the likely last roster spot between Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight. Seemingly, Carter is safe. He’s got more starting experience on the team than Knight and didn’t suit up for the Jets’ most recent preseason game, a likely indication that the coaches have seen what they need to see. Knight played last week and fumbled. He’s had good moments throughout training camp, but his future may lie on the practice squad this season.
  • The Bengals have a clear TE1 and a likely TE2 coming into the end of the preseason in Irv Smith Jr. and Drew Sample, but there’s a chance that TE3 isn’t on the roster, according to The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. Last season’s TE3 Mitchell Wilcox has a decent shot at a roster spot, as does the undersized Tanner Hudson, who has impressed with some nice hands throughout camp. Devin Asiasi, Nick Bowers, and Christian Trahan remain as options, as well, but don’t have the strongest chances at a roster spot. Dehner predicts that Cincinnati may take to the open market after cut day, aiming to pull in any of several experienced tight ends that may find themselves on the roster bubble.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/31/23

Here are today’s reserve/futures contracts handed out:

Cincinnati Bengals

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/6/22

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: QB Davis Cheek

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

  • Released: OL George Moore

Denver Broncos

  • Signed:WR Kaden Davis, QB Jarrett Guarantano
  • Released: LB Zach McCloud

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Giants Activate OLB Azeez Ojulari, S Tony Jefferson From IR

The Giants are in the midst of a bit of a midseason slump during a crucial four-game stretch of division games. They are activating pass rusher Azeez Ojulari and safety Tony Jefferson from injured reserve in hopes that they’ll be able to turn things around after losing three of their last four, according to Giants senior writer Michael Elsen.

New York will certainly be glad to see Ojulari return to the field to assist with an aspect of the game they’ve struggled with so far this season: sack production. Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has been able to produce some form of pass rush, much like he did during his time with the Ravens, by getting creative and sending blitzers from every part of the field. While this has resulted in 12 different players contributing to the team’s sack total, the Giants haven’t gotten consistent results out of any one player, besides defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Lawrence leads the team with five sacks and is the only one of those 12 players with more than two.

Ojulari not only will get to the quarterback, as he showed he could during his rookie season when he led the team with eight sacks, but his presence should help the other defensive lineman provide more of a natural pass rush. With offensive linemen focused on Ojulari, Lawrence, Leonard Williams, and this year’s No. 5 overall pick, Kayvon Thibodeaux, should be freed up with some one-on-one matchups.

Jefferson is a depth piece in the Giants secondary. After two standard gameday elevations, Jefferson was signed to the team’s active roster for their London game against the Packers. Jefferson unfortunately suffered a foot injury in the game and was promptly placed on IR. With starting safety Xavier McKinney ruled out for the fourth-straight game, Jefferson provides a solid option alongside Dane Belton to start opposite the team’s other starting safety, Julian Love.

New York also made an exchange at the tight end position in today’s transactions. The Giants signed veteran tight end Nick Vannett to the active roster from the practice squad, waiving tight end Tanner Hudson to make room. With fourth-round rookie, and expected starter, Daniel Bellinger missing the last four games with an eye injury, the Giants have recently turned to recent addition Lawrence Cager who converted from wide receiver this past offseason. The team is expecting to finally get Bellinger back but will have Cager and Vannett available for backup.

Lastly, New York has promoted defensive tackle Vernon Butler and defensive back Zyon Gilbert as standard gameday elevations from the practice squad for tomorrow’s matchup with the Commanders. If Gilbert enters the game for Big Blue tomorrow, it would be the NFL debut for the undrafted rookie out of Florida Atlantic.