The Cincinnati Bengals are turning to a Super Bowl champion at tight end and a well-traveled veteran at linebacker for their regular-season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with roster moves on Tanner Hudson and Joe Giles-Harris, respectively.
Both players were on the Bengals’ practice squad but will be on the active roster on Sunday,
“The Bengals today elevated LB Joe Giles-Harris and TE Tanner Hudson from the practice squad to the active roster for tomorrow’s game,” the team announced on September 12.
“Giles-Harris and Hudson both are classified as standard elevations. As practice squad players being elevated to the active roster for the game, they automatically will revert to the practice squad on Monday.”
Hudson is in his fourth season with head coach Zac Taylor and the Bengals.
A former undrafted free agent, he won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 and has also spent time with the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.
The 31-year-old, 6-foot-5 TE has 77 receptions, 674 yards, and 4 touchdowns with the Bengals. For his career, Hudson has a 92-873-4 line, and he will get a chance at bragging rights over his former franchise.
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Like Hudson, Giles-Harris is a former UDFA, and he is in Year 2 with the Bengals. Originally breaking through with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019, he had stints with the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots (and another stint in Jacksonville) before joining the Bengals in 2025.
Giles-Harris has 27 total tackles in 10 games with the Bengals.
He has tallied 57 total tackles and 1.0 sack, starting three of the 32 games that he has played in so far.
The Bengals did not announce any other roster moves, setting the stage for their tilt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in what they hope is a season that results in a return to the playoffs and, even more, back to the Super Bowl.
Bengals Add Buccaneers Super Bowl Champion, Former Patriots LB to Active Roster