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 take some time to go over tight end Tanner Hudson. In the midst of a turbulent 2023 season, Hudson stood out as a breakout player for the Bengals' offense. He wasn't even on the 53-man roster for the first two weeks of the season. It would be surprising if that was this case this year.
Tanner Hudson
- Age: 29
- Year: 7th
- Position: Tight end
- College: Southern Arkansas
- Previous Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants
- Jersey Number: 87
Hudson was signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent following the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent four years at Southern Arkansas after originally transferring from Memphis, where he spent one year as a redshirted player. His first two years of playing time were spent as a wide receiver, and he switched to tight end as a junior in 2016. The switch worked out as he posted career highs in all three major receiving categories with 48 receptions for 763 yards and nine touchdowns. He followed that year with a team-high 624 yards and earned Second Team Division II All-American honors.
Hudson's first three years in the NFL were spent with the Bucs, mostly on the practice squad. He made his debut during the 2019 season and got the call up again for most of the 2020 season, helping Tampa Bay win its second Super Bowl. He would stay on the team for the 2021 offseason but was cut for the final time right before the season and joined the 49ers' practice squad. He would play two games for San Fran but didn't register any production beyond snaps played. He was waived by the Niners the following offseason and the Giants claimed him right before the 2022 season. He played in 11 games for New York, catching 10 passes for 132 yards before being waived yet again a month before the season ended. The Bengals then signed him to their practice squad.
Four years and three teams later, Hudson finally arrived in Cincinnati with a mission in the 2023 offseason. The Bengals' tight end room was destined to be a weak spot of the roster, which gave Hudson a chance to stand out in training camp. He did exactly that despite the offense having to practice without a healthy Joe Burrow, but somehow missed the cut to start the season. After two weeks on the practice squad, he was elevated for Week 3 and 4 due to injuries at the position. He was signed to the active roster leading up to Week 9 and strung together five-straight outings with at least four receptions. He became the offense's top receiving option at the position, effectively phasing out Week 1 starter Irv Smith Jr. He finished the season with 39 receptions for 352 yards and his first career touchdown, all being career highs.
Contract details
Hudson signed a one-year, $1,292,500 contract this offseason. He will earn a base salary of $1,125,000 for the 2024 season, and a $167,500 signing bonus was also included.
Because Hudson is a vested veteran (five of his seven years are considered accrued years of experience), his deal was able to qualify for the Veteran Salary Benefit. His cap hit for this season will only be $1,152,500.
Roster chances
Re-signing Hudson was an easy decision the Bengals made this offseason. He surprised many by how capable he was in an expanded role. There's value in keeping him around, but added competition was definitely needed alongside him. Mike Gesicki was signed to be the starter, and with such a similar skillset and alignment preference as Hudson, the two should make a quality pairing between starter and immediate depth.
That is if Hudson can fend off a couple rookies this month.
Gesicki, Drew Sample, and fourth-round pick Erick All are essentially locked in to make the team. That's already three at a position that's typically an afterthought in this offense, but Hudson and sixth-round pick Tanner McLachlan are also talented enough to fit into the picture. Can all five fit onto the initial 53? There may only be room for four, and while Hudson is on a cheap one-year deal, McLachlan is under contract for four years and may be a popular target for other clubs if he were to be waived this month.
Hudson has had a good start to training camp, and after how much he proved himself last year, I'd think it's more likely he sticks around than not. Roster gymnastics may be the result to make it all work.
Chances of making the roster: 75%
Previous player breakdowns
Related: Bengals Roster Breakdown: Erick All must get past his injured present to live out a bright future
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