He's not the most productive receiver, but Drew Sample is firmly the Cincinnati Bengals' No. 1 TE on the roster. He's been in Zac Taylor's offense longer than anyone, and that isn't changing this year.
We're 24 days away from the Cincinnati Bengals' preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. As we inch closer to the end of the preseason and final cuts, we'll be covering the entirety of the Bengals' 90-man roster. Check out previous player profiles here
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The next name in the series was the second pick Zac Taylor helped make as Cincinnati's coach.
Age: 30
Year: 8th
Position: Tight end
College: Washington
Jersey Number: 89
Drew Sample was selected No. 52 overall in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Bengals. Sample is the last member of Zac Taylor's first draft class still with the team. Prior to the NFL, he spent five seasons (2014-18) at Washington and played in four of them. He started 40 of the 51 games he played, catching 46 receptions for 487 yards and five touchdowns.
Sample came off the bench as a rookie and then became a full-time starter in 2020 after C.J. Uzomah suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2. He reverted back to Uzomah's backup during the 2021 Super Bowl run, and missed nearly all of 2022 with a torn ACL. Cincinnati re-signed him on a minimum one-year deal in 2023 ended up starting most of the season. He would go on to sign a three-year deal in 2024, establishing himself as the offense's main starter at the position due to his reliability as an inline player. He's started 27 games over the last two seasons, playing 1,250 snaps.
Sample is entering the final year of his three-year, $10,500,000 deal from 2024. His base salary for 2026 is $2,550,000. He can also earn $250,000 in per game roster bonuses, and has already earned $50,000 in a workout bonus. His total cash figure and salary cap hit for the year is $2,850,000.
He's not the most productive receiver, but Sample is firmly the Bengals' No. 1 TE on the roster. The coaching staff has so much trust in his ability as a blocker, and outlet receiver when called upon. He's been in Taylor's offense longer than anyone, and that isn't changing this year.
The return of Erick All Jr. will have him play in tandem with Sample this year as the Bengals try to utilize more traditional 12 personnel formations to enhance their under center game. Perhaps All take's Sample's job next year. That is a concern for 2027, as Sample isn't going anywhere until then, and even then, maybe he sticks around for another year.
Roster odds: 100%
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Bengals Player Profile: Drew Sample has seen every version of Cincinnati's offense in the Zac Taylor era
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