Seventh-round draft picks aren't supposed to make roster construction this complicated. Cincinnati Bengals tight end Jack Endries apparently didn't get the memo.
The Bengals entered training camp with one of the deepest position rooms on the roster, leaving Endries with a difficult path to the final 53-man core. But rather than quietly positioning himself as a developmental player destined for the practice squad, the rookie has spent the preseason giving Cincinnati reasons to think twice about exposing him to waivers.
That's becoming a problem. And Tanner Hudson isn't making the solution any easier.
Jack Endries has made his case to the Bengals
Endries entered camp competing with Hudson in what has been described as a "classic vet-rookie battle." The rookie has done his part to make it a legitimate one.
Against Detroit in Cincinnati's preseason opener, Endries caught three passes for 25 yards and a touchdown. His most impressive reception may not have been the score, either.
On a 17-yard catch, Endries showed the athleticism that made him an intriguing late-round prospect, creating additional yardage after the reception instead of simply going down at first contact. That's important because the question surrounding Endries was never whether he could catch the football.
It was whether he could become complete enough to justify a roster spot in an already crowded position group.
So far, the early returns have been encouraging.
The Bengals have also been pleased with what they've seen from Endries as a blocker, including his work in pass protection. That's the kind of development that could separate him from being an interesting receiving project and turn him into someone Cincinnati can actually use on Sundays.
Even Joe Burrow has noticed something familiar.
Burrow has compared Endries' feel for the game to Hudson's, which is both a significant compliment and somewhat ironic considering Hudson could ultimately be the player most directly affected by the rookie's emergence.
Tanner Hudson isn't going away quietly
The easiest solution would have been for Endries to simply outperform Hudson and take his roster spot.
However, Hudson doesn't seem interested in cooperating.
The veteran has established himself as a trusted option in Cincinnati's passing game during his time with the Bengals, and he reinforced his value against Chicago by finding the end zone.
Hudson doesn't carry the mystery or long-term upside of a rookie. The Bengals already know exactly what he is, which is also part of his appeal.
Burrow trusts him. Hudson understands the offense. He has shown he can contribute when his number is called.
For a team with legitimate Super Bowl expectations, moving on from a known contributor simply because a seventh-round rookie had an impressive summer isn't necessarily an easy decision.
But neither is risking the rookie. That's what makes this interesting.
Erick All Jr.'s return makes the decision even harder
There was another possible solution to Cincinnati's tight end numbers problem. Erick All Jr.'s health could have solved it for them. Instead, All returned to game action against Chicago after a lengthy recovery from his knee injury.
All's return is unquestionably good news for Cincinnati. It's also another complication when roster cuts arrive.
Mike Gesicki has an established role as one of the offense's receiving weapons. Drew Sample remains an important blocker and veteran presence. If healthy, All offers the Bengals an intriguing combination of receiving ability, athleticism and versatility.
Those three already create a logical foundation for the tight end room. Then there are Hudson and Endries.
Keeping both would potentially require Cincinnati to devote five roster spots to one position. That's not impossible. But it would have consequences somewhere else.
Could the Bengals really keep five tight ends?
Every extra roster spot Cincinnati uses at tight end is one it can't use somewhere else. That's particularly significant this year.
The Bengals have difficult decisions coming at wide receiver. Their rebuilt defensive line has enough depth that potentially useful players could be squeezed out. Special teams will influence several of the final roster spots.
Carrying five tight ends would therefore be a luxury. The question is whether Cincinnati has created enough talent at the position to justify it.
Gesicki and Sample have clearly defined roles. All's upside makes him difficult to dismiss if he's healthy. Hudson has already demonstrated that Burrow can trust him in meaningful situations. And Endries keeps making the case that exposing him to waivers could be a mistake.
Suddenly, five doesn't sound quite as unreasonable.
Cincinnati could also potentially use that depth creatively. The Bengals don't have five versions of the same tight end. The group offers different combinations of receiving ability, blocking and versatility that could allow the offense to change personnel without becoming predictable.
That doesn't mean Cincinnati should automatically keep all five. It means Endries has played well enough to make the conversation necessary.
That's exactly what a seventh-round pick is supposed to do
Endries didn't enter training camp needing to become a starter.
He needed to make Cincinnati uncomfortable. Make coaches notice him. Make the front office hesitate before placing his name on the waiver wire. Make the Bengals wonder whether another team might see the same potential they do.
He's accomplishing that.
There is still time before Cincinnati has to make its final decision, and one preseason performance shouldn't determine a roster spot. But this isn't really about one performance anymore.
Endries has steadily provided evidence that he might be more useful right now than Cincinnati expected when it selected him in the seventh round.
Normally, that's exactly what an NFL team hopes to discover from a late-round pick. For the Bengals, it's also created an unexpected problem.
And if Endries keeps giving them reasons to believe in him, Cincinnati might have to solve it by doing something unconventional and finding room for five tight ends.
Add us as a preferred source on Google