4 Bengals who have offered almost nothing to the team in 2021
2. Drew Sample
Selecting a tight end who had just 252 yards and three touchdowns in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft was a puzzling decision at the time and turns out — It wasn’t a good one. Drew Sample hasn’t provided much for the Bengals throughout his career and has done next to nothing during his third season as a pro.
Sample did amass his collegiate career-high in receiving yards during the 2020 season when C.J. Uzomah went down with an injury. He finished his sophomore season with 40 catches for 349 yards and a touchdown (still the only in his career) but now that he’s behind Uzomah on the depth chart, Sample is mostly relegated to blocking duties.
Behind lead blocker Drew Sample, Joe Mixon scoots into the end zone on an 11-yard TD run. Bengals respond after the pick six.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) November 7, 2021
All tied at 7, 4:10 left in the first.
The tight end out of Washington hasn’t done much in 2021, totaling just five catches for 45 yards this season. In the Week 5 loss to Green Bay, he caught a pass that should have led to a first down but Sample fell down after hauling the pass in.
Uzomah is slated to hit free agency this offseason and if he’s not retained, Sample could have a bigger role next year but the 2021 season hasn’t been kind to him thus far. He’s a decent blocker but that’s not what the Bengals had in mind when they spent a second-round pick on him.