Bengals rookie tight end All, a Fairfield grad, cleared to practice

All, a rookie fourth-round draft pick, tore his ACL and suffered other damage in his knee in Iowa’s game against Wisconsin on Oct. 14, 2023. He’s been rehabbing with the Bengals training and medical staff but had been cutting and making great progress since early April, before the draft.

“I was just excited,” All said of being cleared. “I didn’t know what to think except to text my mom, text my dad, text the family group chat. I was just extremely excited.”

All said he found out he was cleared right after a special teams session, and he didn’t have time to call anyone so the text had to do. His mom told him to add his family to the guest list for Sunday evening’s “Back Together” training camp session so they could watch his first practice, and he expected a big crowd of supporters.

Even All wasn’t anticipating he would be practicing this soon, but he said it was a relief to be cleared.

“I was eager to get out there,” All said. “I’m not going to lie. I’ve been ready to go, but I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was thinking I would get cleared later down the line, like a month from now or something, but that was just because I’m right at nine months and nine months is usually for a normal ACL, but I did like ACL, plus other stuff too, so I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m happy. I’m excited.”

All said he participated in a walkthrough Friday afternoon and was one of the only players running. It just felt good to be moving, back in a huddle and on the field with teammates again.

The 23-year-old had not yet thought about what it would feel like to catch his first pass in a real practice, but he said now the real work begins. All had been preparing as best he could to learn the offense and be ready to jump in when allowed; however, that process speeds up once he’s able to actually do it on the field.

On Sunday, he did individual and position group drills, catching passes from backup Jake Browning, but was not included in team drills.

“It’s different when you’re not out there running the plays, and that’s how I’ve always learned a playbook is by actually going out there and doing it, so looking at the plays and not doing it, it felt like I was in school, trying to learn the playbook, which is hard just trying to remember everything,” All said. “Now that I’m actually about to be doing the reps and the night before studying-wise, it’s going to be different.”

All doesn’t plan to wear a brace but might try a protective pad over his knee. He doesn’t want to get too comfortable with a brace and then eventually try going without it and not feel as confident.

The biggest thing he focused on during his rehab was making sure he could feel confident running rounds, planting and cutting without fear of re-injury. All didn’t appear hesitant in his first practice.

“It started early April, that’s when I first cut on it and after the first day, I was like, ‘This is it,’ and ever since then I’ve been real confident,” All said. “But first day of running routes was definitely like, ‘I’m about to run 12 yards and plant on it.’ But after the first one, it was good. I wasn’t too worried.”

All, who graduated from Fairfield in 2019, has dealt with his share of injuries over the past two years and looks forward to showing what he can do when healthy. He spent his first four years at Michigan before transferring to Iowa in 2023, and he missed 18 games over his final two collegiate seasons because of back surgery to repair a herniated disc in 2022 and the ACL surgery in 2023.

The 6-foot-4, 252-pound tight end joins a dynamic tight end group that added free agent Mike Gesicki and another draft pick with the selection of Tanner McLachlan in the sixth round.

“Physical and just competitive,” All said when asked what stands out about him. “I’m real competitive, so I’m a guy that’s going to be out there blocking and doing whatever I’m supposed to do, catching the ball, hopefully running great routes and making people miss when I have the ball in my hands and scoring touchdowns.”