Should the Cincinnati Bengals Start Tight End Tanner Hudson Over Irv Smith Jr.?

The Cincinnati Bengals are calling the promotion of Tanner Hudson from the practice squad to the active roster an opportunity earned based on what the tight end showed them in two games earlier in the season and more recently in practice.

But the transaction is just as much — if not more — about an opportunity lost.

Is it Time for the Bengals To Start Tanner Hudson?

Tight end Irv Smith Jr. has struggled in his first season in Cincinnati, catching just six passes for 32 yards while missing two games through the first six weeks. Quarterback Joe Burrow’s calf injury resulted in an inability to buy time and get deeper into his progressions, and twice when he targeted Smith as the primary receiver, it resulted in a drop.

Sunday looked different. Burrow went to Smith three times in the first half, with all three leading to receptions as the offense was moving up and down the field without much resistance from San Francisco’s defense.

But the third catch, on 1st-and-goal from the 3-yard line, ended with Smith losing the ball in addition to something almost as valuable — Burrow’s trust.

During his weekly news conference Wednesday, Burrow was asked what jumped out to him after watching the film of the 31-17 win.

“We’ve got to take better care of the ball,” he said.

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The only pass Burrow threw to Smith after the fumble was a screen on 3rd-and-13. How many targets Smith gets moving forward remains to be seen, but Hudson’s promotion, and specifically the timing, is telling.

The Bengals had an open spot on the 53-man roster last week after rookie running back Chase Brown went on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. The expectation was that the team would fill the vacancy with Hudson, who had exhausted two of his allowed three practice squad promotions in Weeks 3 and 4 when Smith was out with his hamstring issue.

“He’s earned it. Let’s start with that,” head coach Zac Taylor said of Hudson. “He’s earned an opportunity to get up. It’s more about maybe him than anything else, just earning that opportunity. That’s the right way to reward guys when it makes sense.”

You can argue last week would not have made sense given that Brown’s injury happened Thursday, and the team only had one walk-through practice remaining, plus the game plan was already in place.

Sunday night against Buffalo will be interesting. Drew Sample has a specific blocking role on offense, and he and Mitch Wilcox are among the team’s leaders in special-teams snaps. It’s hard to see either of them being inactive against the Bills.

Will Smith be down in favor of Hudson? Or will all four tight ends dress? If they do, does Hudson start over Smith?

“It means everything,” Hudson said of his promotion to the 53-man roster. “It just shows that they’re trusting me to prepare and be able to go out there and use my talents to help this team win.”

There’s that “trust” word again.

Burrow was asked how hard it is to earn his trust.

“It comes with reps in practice and game reps,” he said. “I would say it just depends on the opportunities that you get. When you have guys that work really hard to get better, and you have guys that own their role on the team, that’s the quickest way to do it.”

Hudson was recruited out of high school as a quarterback, but after one season at Memphis, he transferred to Southern Arkansas and made the switch to wide receiver, then eventually tight end.

Hudson played 33 games with the Buccaneers, 49ers, and Giants before the Bengals signed him to the practice squad last December.

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He caught eight passes for 71 yards in the preseason, then while filling in for Smith in Weeks 3-4, Hudson caught four passes for 48 yards, including a 26-yarder that set up a game-tying field goal just before halftime of the Monday night win against the Rams.

“It was nice to get out there with the guys and be in the huddle and be in those in those game situations to show what I could do,” Hudson said.

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