Throughout the summer leading up to the regular season, we will go through the entire 2024 Cincinnati Bengals roster. Every single day until the season opener against the New England Patriots , we will break down a player on the roster including his background, contract status, and path towards making the team.
Today, we climb higher in this year's draft class with tight end Erick All. The Bengals drafted him just outside the top 100 selections with the long-term hope of finding an all-around playmaker to build around. Potential is high with All—who grew in nearby Fairfield, Oh.—it's just about whether or not he'll get a chance to get there.
Erick All
- Age: 23
- Year: 1st
- Position: Tight end
- College: Iowa
- Previous Teams: None
- Jersey Number: 83
All was drafted by the Bengals with the 115th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Bengals hadn't drafted a tight end in the previous four drafts. He played his first four years of college at Michigan before spending one year at Iowa. Following two years of minimal playing time and production, All became a starter in 2021 for the Wolverines and put together what would be the only complete starting season of his college career. He posted 38 receptions for 437 yards and two touchdowns on his way to All-Big Ten honorable mention.
Three years of staying healthy went out the window for All in 2022. Three games into the year, right around when his child was born, the senior captain suffered a spinal injury that ended his season. It would be the last time he played for Michigan as he transferred to Iowa for his fifth and final season. All played the first seven games for the Hawkeyes and led the team in receiving with 21 receptions for 299 yards and three touchdowns before suffering a torn ACL. Funny enough, All was still Iowa's leading receiver despite missing the second half of the year.
Two major injuries in back-to-back seasons covered his draft profile with dark clouds, but All has been through enough adversity for a lifetime. The reason why he grew up just north of Cincy is because his family moved from his hometown of Richmond, Ind. following a near-death experience. All's family home caught on fire when he was just an infant. He wasn't breathing when saved by firemen from his second-story room, but he lived after spending over a week in the hospital.
Over two decades later, All is now with the team he grew up next to and is recovering from another injury. He was officially placed on the Non-Football Injury list this past weekend , which prohibits him from practicing in training camp until he's cleared.
Contract details
All signed a four-year, $4,813,104 deal this offseason that will pay him the minimum salary for a player with his level of experience for the 2024 season.
His salary will cost $795,000 for the entire season if he's kept on the team for the entire regular season, but with a signing bonus of $793,104 prorated throughout the deal, his cap for this season will be $993,276.
Roster chances
If All were healthy enough to practice right now, there would be zero doubt about him making the team. He's been productive in the years he's started several games for two completely different programs, and might have the best combination of natural receiving ability and blocking prowess out of any tight end in Cincinnati.
Starting his career on an injury list is the main obstacle he has to overcome. He's also not the only tight end the team drafted this year as sixth-round pick Tanner McLachlan will be getting valuable reps this week while All rehabs.
Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, Tanner Hudson, and McLachlan already make it a full tight end room. Should All be healthy to start the regular season, will the offense choose to carry an unconventional five at the position? The sooner he comes back, the stronger a case he can make to potentially push a guy like Hudson, who's playing on a minimum one-year contract, off the team. Or maybe it's the rookie McLachlan who misses the cut instead.
All was drafted early enough to feel safe regardless, but the variable of his injury may still keep him off the field by the time September comes around. The team will still have to have him on the active roster after final cuts in order for him to come back during the season, so that counts in this exercise.
Chances of making the roster: 98%
Previous player breakdowns
Related: Bengals Roster Breakdown: Tanner McLachlan's climb continues in deep tight end group
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