Drew Sample probably thought he wasn’t going to be starting any time soon after last season. The 6’5″, 258-pound tight end out of Washington was picked up in the second round by the Bengals last year, but he had minimal impact with just five catches all of last season. This was mainly due to the presence of veteran tight ends Tyler Eifert and C.J. Uzomah.
However, this could be a breakout year for him. Eifert left for Jacksonville in Free Agency, Uzomah went down with a torn ACL last week against the Browns and is done for the season. The receiving corps of AJ Green, Tyler Boyd, and John Ross are not anything special. Additionally, the Bengals have a young QB in number one overall pick Joe Burrow. I would expect Sample to become a big part of the passing game if Burrow has trouble reading defenses. His big frame means that he could become a big target over the middle of the field. His 4.71 40-time isn’t going to cause too many matchups problems, as teams can put a faster linebacker on him, but I still think he can be a threat in the red zone and short-yardage situations. Expect him to get plenty of targets but only 3-4 yards per receptions.
The Bengals’ offensive line gave up three sacks last week, and it seemed that Burrow was in trouble on every other play. Tight ends are a quarterback’s best friend in these situations, and Samples’ could become one for Burrow if the line doesn’t improve. Sample has all the odds in his favor. His success will come down to how much trust Joe Burrow has in him. If he becomes Burrow’s go-to target similar to Mark Andrews for Lamar Jackson, he could propel himself into the top tier of tight ends. If he doesn’t he would just be another second-round bust for the Bengals.
