Hudson is re-signing with the Bengals, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports. Hudson spent much of last season on Cincinnati's practice squad but eventually emerged as the top pass catcher at tight end amidst a disappointing season for free-agent acquisition Irv Smith (who has since moved on to Kansas City). The Bengals signed Mike Gesicki and re-signed Drew Sample earlier this week, ensuring Hudson will again have to fight for his playing time. Sample figures to do a lot of the blocking, likely leaving Hudson and Gesicki to compete for slot work and playing time in obvious passing situations.
Unlock the latest Cincinnati Bengals news — direct to your inbox.
Status
ACTIVELatest Tanner Hudson news
Receiving
2023 Regular Season Stats
REC
REC YDS
REC TDS
YAC
AVG YDS
39
352
1
148
9
Team
Cincinnati Bengals
Birthdate
11/12/1994 (29)
Status
Active
HT/WT
6'5", 239 lbs
Birthplace
Paris, TN, USA
Position
TE
College
Southern Arkansas
Experience
5th season
Career History
Cincinnati Bengals
2022-Present
(2 seasons)
San Francisco 49ers
2021-2023
(2 seasons)
New York Giants
2022-2023
(1 season)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2018-2022
(4 seasons)
It's the offseason! 😎
Check back next season for fresh
AI-powered projections.
Can't wait for more data?
Join dfsPro Daily for free
AI-powered Fantasy Picks
Year-Round.
Hudson is re-signing with the Bengals, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports. Hudson spent much of last season on Cincinnati's practice squad but eventually emerged as the top pass catcher at tight end amidst a disappointing season for free-agent acquisition Irv Smith (who has since moved on to Kansas City). The Bengals signed Mike Gesicki and re-signed Drew Sample earlier this week, ensuring Hudson will again have to fight for his playing time. Sample figures to do a lot of the blocking, likely leaving Hudson and Gesicki to compete for slot work and playing time in obvious passing situations.
The Bengals opened with Drew Sample (one catch for an 11-yard touchdown) and Mitchell Wilcox (one catch for one yard) as their starting tight ends, but Hudson ended up outproducing both players as well as Irv Smith (two catches for eight yards) in terms of pure volume in the passing game. Hudson looks to be Cincinnati's top pass-catching tight end, but his ceiling is limited by having to share snaps with three other options at the position as well as having the relatively unproven Jake Browning as his quarterback rather than Joe Burrow (wrist). Additionally, Hudson's involvement in the passing game could take a further hit whenever wideout Tee Higgins (hamstring) -- who has missed the last three games -- is back in action.
Hudson was elevated from the practice squad in Weeks 3 and 4 while Irv Smith dealt with a hamstring injury, and the 6-foot-5 tight end held his own with four catches for 48 yards on six targets between those two games. The 30 receiving yards Hudson compiled Week 3 are more than Smith has had in any game this season. Smith also lost a fumble in this past Sunday's win over the 49ers, so perhaps Hudson can carve out a sizable pass-catching role if the Cincinnati coaching staff is unhappy with Smith's production.