The Cincinnati Bengals addressed the tight end room in multiple ways over the offseason, most notably signing Mike Gesicki and drafting Erick All with their fourth-round selection.
And so far, All has already been showing that he was worth that draft capital in multiple ways in his rookie season. His blocking ability has been noticed by his new offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, who commented on it early in October.
“I’ll say this. Maybe it goes beyond willing and turns into eager — an eagerness to be violent,” Pitcher said. “That’s probably a better descriptor.”
That is one way he has been earning himself playing time, but he has also shown off his ability to be a pass catcher in his rookie campaign.
He has brought in 18 catches for 134 yards with no scores yet. He has three games this season with four catches, coming in three straight weeks.
All is proving to be one of few tight ends who can successfully block and catch at an above-average level for his position, and those could only get better with more experience at the next level.
While his rookie season isn’t likely going exactly as he planned at the team level to this point, All is providing some great early returns for the Bengals on the field and has been a bright spot.
