According to ESPN Stats and Research, the tight ends also ran 70 routes, which matched a high under Burrow.
“I think we’ve got a great grouping of tight ends,” Taylor said. “That’s been a part of where we saw this going all spring and training camp. It could be moreso in some games than others. Sometimes it gets you matchups in the run game. Sometimes it gets matchups in the pass game, with your receivers even, just have the tight ends on the field and the base defense it provides. When you’ve got guys that you believe in, which we got several tight ends that we believe in, it allows you to be multiple and open it up. I thought that was a good element of our offense.”
Tight end Mike Gesicki, who led the team with seven catches for 91 yards, credited the coaches for “putting guys in position to be successful.” Cincinnati was without Tee Higgins for a second straight week, and Kansas City was double-teaming Ja’Marr Chase the whole game, so it was expected others would need to step up. The tight ends just happen to be Burrow’s most consistent option, as Erick All Jr. added four catches for 32 yards and Drew Sample had three catches for 28 yards.
The Bengals also have upped their usage of “12 personnel,” a formation with two tight ends. In Week 1, they were in 12-personnel on 29.2 percent of the offensive snaps, and in Week 2 on 31.1 percent, which was the second-highest rate in the Zac Taylor era, according to ESPN Stats and Research.
“We didn’t even have Tanner (Hudson) fully out there (Sunday) so when he’s back 100 percent, that’s another guy that can go make plays,” Gesicki said. “Drew (Sample) obviously made plays. ... Erick (All), big, strong, physical player, but also super athletic, making plays down the field, making plays right at the line of scrimmage and then running the guy over, getting five, six strong yards. There’s a lot of talent in a lot of different guys, and it goes back to coaching and how they are doing a great job putting people in position to be successful.”
Sample said the versatility of the tight ends brings another element to the offense that is a little unique this year.
Cincinnati didn’t have a dominant receiver at that position last year when the hope was Irv Smith Jr. could be that option. He played just 12 games and finished with 115 yards and a touchdown on 18 catches, then departed in free agency. Hudson, who started 2023 on the practice squad, led the tight ends, finishing with 352 yards and a touchdown on 39 catches in 12 games.
The Bengals brought in Gesicki as a more proven pass-catcher this offseason, re-signed Sample to a two-year deal, then added All and Tanner McLachlan in the draft. Sample has always been known as the go-to run blocker but evolved as a pass catcher more last year, and Taylor calls All a “complete package” that can do it all. McLachlan hasn’t been active yet.
“As a room we took a really good step forward, and I think it’s our job then to keep going that way, whatever the offense needs, whatever our team needs to be able to do that,” Sample said. “We’re very versatile, and we can do a lot of different things. We can catch the ball, we can run the ball, we can play-action, we kind of do everything, so I think that just helps the offense do multiple things out of multiple personnel, 12-13, whatever it is.”
The emergence of All could lead to even more opportunities to get the tight ends on the field. The rookie fourth-round draft pick and Fairfield High School graduate has earned a lot of praise from coaches and teammates through the first two weeks, and the expectation is he will only continue to get better as he learns and grows in the system.
Gesicki pointed out how difficult the Bengals offense is to pick up for a newcomer, much more probably for a rookie, but All has done well studying the playbook, watching film and learning from mistakes.
With the hope Higgins could be back from his hamstring injury as soon as Monday against Washington, that will add even more to Burrow’s arsenal, as another weapon to distract defenses. Sample believes the tight ends will still have a big role moving forward.
“Obviously, we want to have (Higgins) back, we need to have him back, and I think that just adds more versatility,” Sample said. “We have a lot of guys that go make plays down the field, really all zones of the field and being able to marry things up and disguise things. That’s always the plan is to keep the defense on their heels however we can, so having not to just deal with Ja’Marr, having to deal with Tee and Drei (Andre Iosivas) and all our guys. I think that becomes difficult for defenses, and we just want to put the pressure on them however we can.”
MONDAY’S GAME
Commanders at Bengals, 8:15 p.m., ABC, 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
About the Author