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Who Replaces Tanner Hudson After His Torn Pec? Answering 5 Questions Bengals Fans Are Asking
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- Who Replaces Tanner Hudson After His Torn Pec? Answering 5 Questions Bengals Fans Are Asking
Tanner Hudson had one of the best games of his Cincinnati Bengals career in Miami, catching a touchdown pass and keeping a drive alive with a scooping grab on third-and-7. Two days later, his agent confirmed the bad news that Hudson tore his pectoral and is expected to miss the rest of the season .
The timing could be worse. The 3-2 Bengals are on their bye and don't play again until Oct. 25 at Baltimore. That gives Zac Taylor two weeks to figure out a tight end room that just lost its most reliable piece. Here are five questions Bengals fans are asking.
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How long is Tanner Hudson out?
Oct 11, 2026; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson (87) scores a touchdown in front of Miami Dolphins linebacker Willie Gay Jr. (40) during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images
Most likely the rest of 2026. Hudson's agent told WLWT and WCPO on Tuesday that the injury is a torn pectoral, and surgery is likely. Taylor said Monday the team was still gathering information on Hudson's pec, according to The Associated Press , and the diagnosis came the next day.
Hudson was hurt late in the 31-24 win at Hard Rock Stadium. WKRC reported the injury came on a special-teams play , which makes sense for a player who's spent his entire Bengals tenure doing a little bit of everything.
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It's a tough break for a 31-year-old who's had to fight for his spot every year. Hudson was released at final cuts in August, re-signed to the practice squad the next day and earned his way back onto the 53-man roster in late September. He had seven catches for 33 yards and a touchdown this season. His touchdown against the Dolphins, with 55 seconds left in the first half, was the first of his 2026 season and the fifth of his career.
Why was Hudson such a big part of the offense?
Aug 22, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson (87) catches the ball during the second quarter against the Chicago Bears at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
His numbers were modest, but the coaches trusted him in big spots. Against Miami, Hudson caught all three of his targets for 14 yards and a touchdown on just 19 snaps. According to PFF, he graded 89.9 overall, the best mark on the Bengals' offense, though on a small sample.
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Joe Burrow noticed. "Tanner made an unbelievable play on third down. He made a great play in the red zone," Burrow said after the game .
Taylor called him "Mr. Dependable" after the win. "He's just Mr. Dependable, whether he's on the practice squad, whether he's on the roster; he's going to show up," Taylor told Bengals.com . "Tanner shows up and makes plays, never complains." Taylor also liked the matchup problems Hudson created, saying, "I just need the defense to decide who he is, so we know if we're going to get base or nickel when he's in there." That kind of flexibility is hard to replace with one player.
Who replaces Tanner Hudson?
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki celebrates after catching a touchdown pass from Joe Burrow against the Miami Dolphins in NFL Week 5.
The snaps were already spread around. Against Miami, Erick All Jr. and Drew Sample each played 33 snaps and Mike Gesicki played 28, according to PFF. Expect those three to absorb Hudson's role, with Gesicki handling more of the receiving work and Sample staying as the primary blocker.
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Gesicki has been the most productive of the group. He has 12 catches for 159 yards and four touchdowns this season, including a 4-yard touchdown catch against his former team on the opening drive Sunday. "That's how we drew it up if we got that coverage," Gesicki said after the game .
The next man up for the fourth tight end job is seventh-round rookie Jack Endries. He's played just one offensive snap and 19 special-teams snaps in two games, according to Bengals.com . He'd likely inherit some of Hudson's special-teams duties first.
Will Erick All Jr. take over?
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Erick All (83) runs with a catch in the second quarter of the NFL Week 5 game between the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026.
His role was already growing. All played 12 snaps against Jacksonville in Week 4, then jumped to 33 against Miami, and his snap counts show him earning the bigger role Taylor promised earlier this month.
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The production hasn't caught up yet. All has five catches for 30 yards this season, and he graded 56.1 overall against Miami, according to PFF. That's understandable for a player who tore his ACL in November 2024, suffered a setback and missed all of 2025. He'd played only nine NFL games coming into this season.
Burrow was high on him in training camp. "Obviously, he had a lot going on with his knee but you wouldn't know it by looking at him," Burrow told The Associated Press in August. "He looks fit, fast, explosive. He'll play a big role for us this year." Hudson's injury gives All the chance to prove it.
Should the Bengals sign a tight end?
They probably have to add one. The Bengals have dressed four tight ends regularly, and there's currently no tight end on the practice squad. Once Hudson goes on injured reserve, which is expected but hadn't been made official as of Tuesday, Cincinnati will have an open roster spot and a thin room.
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The bye week is the natural time to make a move. The Bengals already used it to claim linebacker Jack Kiser off waivers to replace Swayze Bozeman, who broke his forearm and is headed to injured reserve. A veteran tight end who can block and play special teams would be the most logical fit.
The trade market is another option, though most of the deadline talk around Cincinnati has centered on the secondary. We wrote that the Bengals' reliance on man coverage could make cornerback Brandon Stephens worth the price before the trade deadline. Either way, Hudson's injury puts tight end on the to-do list before the Ravens game.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
