When it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals roster, there aren't many weaknesses. Arguably the biggest weakness could be the tight end position and that opens the door for Tanner Hudson to make a name for himself this summer.
Last year, the Bengals entered the regular season with Hayden Hurst as their starting tight end and he went on to put together a respectable campaign that saw him tally 414 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games. He signed a nice contract with the Carolina Panthers in the offseason, which meant the Bengals had to hit the reset button at the position once again.
They signed Irv Smith Jr. in free agency but with the injury history Smith has in his pro career, it's okay to be a little wary of him being the main option at tight end. The other tight ends on the Bengals' depth chart don't instill much confidence but Hudson has been turning heads at training camp early on.
Dan Hoard, the radio voice of the Bengals, listed Hudson as one of his training camp standouts from the weekend. Hoard tweeted that "'s stacking together some solid practices" which, sure, it's just practice but considering the state of the Bengals tight end position, you can't rule anything out.
4. I didn’t get usable video of it, but tight end Tanner Hudson caught a red zone touchdown pass from Jake Browning for the second straight day (this is Friday’s TD). He’s stacking together some solid practices pic.twitter.com/vFoHFf14g1
— Dan Hoard (@Dan_Hoard) July 29, 2023
Tanner Hudson impressing at Bengals training camp
Hudson signed with the Bengals late last season after spending the year with the New York Giants. He played in 11 games for the Giants and had 132 yards during that time. He's also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers. He has experience on an NFL roster, so that bodes in his favor.
The only surefire player making the Bengals roster at tight end is Irv Smith Jr. Otherwise, no one is a lock to make the team. Drew Sample should due to his familiarity with the offense and the organization but he wouldn't be a huge loss if he was left off the roster. Devin Asiasi was fine last year but he wouldn't be a major loss by any means.
If Hudson continues to impress throughout the rest of camp and can step it up during the preseason, a real case could be made for him to make the 53-man roster.