The Bengals went to Wednesday's practice prepping for Sunday's game here against the Titans (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) while grappling with the injuries that have rocked the tight end room with season-ending losses in the last two games.
Tanner Hudson (pectoral) went down in Miami Oct. 11, and last Sunday in Baltimore Erick All Jr. suffered his third ACL tear in his right knee in the last four seasons. He missed all last season recovering from the one he had in the ninth game of his promising rookie year, and he was enjoying the best game of his comeback against the Ravens in this season's sixth game when he injured the knee on a nine-yard catch over the middle.
All, a Hamilton, Ohio native who played his high school ball at Fairfield High School in the Cincinnati suburbs, tore his ACL in his lone season at Iowa before the Bengals took him in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
He's one of their most popular players among teammates and coaches because of his take-no-prisoners style of play. Head coach Zac Taylor, his most vocal proponent, delivered the news soberly at his weekly Wednesday news conference before practice.
"It's awful for him," Taylor said. "He's been through this a couple of times before. We'll be able to support him in his recovery and his rehab. But it just sucks for him. This means so much to him. He's worked so hard to get himself back."
Slants and Screens
The Bengals aren't going off campus for replacements. Rookie Jack Endries, the seventh-round pick out of Texas, got a battlefield promotion, and Cam Grandy, among the last cuts of training camp, was heisted from the Vikings practice squad and returns to where he has played 15 games over '24 and '25 …
"They'll have to pick up the slack, and we'll be counting on them to do that," said Taylor, who keeps liking what he sees from Endries. "Attention to detail has been really important to him. Waiting for his moment, you can tell. He never knew when his number was going to be called. He's really got to know three different positions, and so I've got trust just watching him operate in practice and in meetings and in training camp that if needed he was going to be ready to go. There was a time where he wasn't needed, because we had everybody healthy, and now's that time. So I'm not nervous at all about using him. I think he's earned the opportunity." …
Ryan Rehkow, AFC Special Teams Player of the Week who knocked all four of his punts last Sunday inside the 20, has yet to hit a touchback this season and is second in the league in inside-the-20 percentage at 65%, slightly behind Bryan Anger of Dallas.
"Having a weapon like that and making them go 90, 85 (yards) is huge, especially with what our defense has been able to do, and so that's a weapon that we don't take for granted," said Taylor, who also gave him the honor of leading the Who-Dey victory chant in Baltimore …
"Gut," said Taylor of his choice of Rehkow .../
Taylor said backup safety Kyle Dugger (quad), already ruled out for this Sunday, is week-to week and not dealing with a major injury …
