Has Drew Sample played his final snap with the Bengals?

The Cincinnati Bengals spent a second-round pick on Drew Sample in the 2019 NFL Draft and now, after going on IR, it's possible that the Washington product has played his final snap with the team that drafted him.

Zac Taylor confirmed on Friday morning following the team's win the night before that Sample is headed to IR. Taylor notes that Sample had surgery but that he doesn't think the tight end will suit up again for the Bengals this year.

Keeping in mind that Sample is in the final year of his rookie contract and therefore hits free agency this offseason, can we assume that the team will move on from him when the 2022 season concludes?

Is this it for Drew Sample in a Bengals uniform?

Sample was a surprising pick at the time considering his lack of receiving yards during his time at Washington. It was pretty obvious that the team planned to use him more as a blocking tight end, something he has been good at, but why spend a second-rounder on a blocking tight end when there were tons of other solid options still on the board?

The Bengals offense doesn't necessarily need a dominant pass-catching tight end considering the weapons they have at wide receiver but we've seen what kind of a difference guys like C.J. Uzomah and Hayden Hurst have made. Speaking of Hurst, he's only signed for this year but so far, he's been rock solid and Cincinnati hopefully will try to keep him for next year.

Maybe the Bengals try to draft another tight end next year instead of bringing back Sample. If this is the end of the road for Sample in Cincinnati, he'll finish his Bengals career with 58 receptions for 458 yards and one touchdown. Nearly all of that damage came during the 2020 season when Sample caught 40 balls for 349 yards and found the end zone for the only time in his career.

Do you think this is it for Drew Sample in a Bengals uniform or do you think the team will re-sign him during the offseason?