The Cincinnati Bengals are signing former Kentucky tight end Josh Kattus as an undrafted free agent. Kattus is the son of former Bengals tight end, Eric Kattus, and raised Josh in Cincinnati as well.
Former Kentucky tight end Josh Kattus is set to join the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent
.
It won't be the first time his last name will be displayed on the back of an orange and black jersey.
Kattus is the son of former Bengals TE Eric Kattus, a Cincinnati native who played six years for his hometown team from 1986-1991. He appeared in 83 games, making seven starts, and caught 66 receptions for 698 yards and five touchdowns during his run with the Bengals. He was a part of the 1988 Super Bowl team, but only played in four games that year due to a knee injury and couldn't play in the postseason.
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35 years since his dad he donned a Bengals uniform, the next Kattus will do the same starting next month when rookie minicamp begins. And he's coming to practice just for the experience.
Josh Kattus has a case to make the Bengals better
Kattus was born and raised in Cincinnati like his father. He played high school ball at Moeller, and went on to play in 44 games for Kentucky in four years.
Receiving production wasn't Kattus' calling card. He hauled in 38 receptions for 505 and six touchdowns during his collegiate career.
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The Bengals have Mike Gesicki, Tanner Hudson, Erick All Jr., and newly-drafted Jack Endries
as their top receiving tight ends. What they could use is another at the position who can inline block along with Drew Sample and Cam Grandy.
That's where Kattus' value truly lies.
Kattus was the second-highest graded run blocker among 37 SEC TEs with at least 100 run blocking snaps in 2025 according to Pro Football Focus. The only TE graded higher was Texas A&M's Nate Boerkircher, whom was drafted in the second round in the 2026 NFL Draft
by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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The Wildcats developed Kattus well in this role, and Cincinnati targeted him after the draft with it in mind.
Can Kattus make the Bengals' 53-man roster?
It's a crowded tight end room with offseason workouts set to ramp up in the coming weeks. Sample, Gesicki, and Hudson were the featured names last season, and the the first two aren't going anywhere. Hudson has also managed to make himself valuable for quarterback Joe Burrow and it will take Endries and All to both outperform him during training camp and the preseason to boot him off the team.
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Kattus has a long way to go. His main competition may be Grandy, another former UDFA with an expertise in getting after it in the run game.
Injuries are quite common for Kattus' position. His first goal will be to remain healthy for the next four months and see how the dust settles around him. At the very least, he figures to be an ideal practice squad player who can see time during the season when further injuries occur.
