CINCINNATI (AP) 鈥� Tight end Erick All Jr., who hasn鈥檛 played in a game since the 2024 season, has immediately made his presence felt at Cincinnati Bengals training camp.
All, a fourth round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, has only played in nine NFL games. After missing nearly two full years with a knee injury, he鈥檚 back to full strength and making a strong impression.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great to have him back,鈥� quarterback Joe Burrow said. 鈥淥bviously, he had a lot going on with his knee but you wouldn鈥檛 know it by looking at him. He looks fit, fast, explosive. He鈥檒l play a big role for us this year.鈥�
All鈥檚 injury history goes back to his college career as he dealt with significant back and knee issues during his time at Michigan and Iowa. The injury history led to him being available in the fourth round of the NFL Draft in 2024, and the Bengals had a vision for how his versatility could help their offense.
That vision immediately came to life that season. He was a standout tone setter as a blocker, created wide running lanes for running back Chase Brown and also made impressive catches in space down the field. All quickly became a starter for the Bengals.
Then on Nov. 3, 2024, All tore his ACL. He suffered a setback in his recovery and ended up missing the entire 2025 season.
Now, he鈥檚 back and playing with the Bengals鈥� first-team offense.
鈥淚t feels great,鈥� All said. 鈥淚 need to calm myself down because I get upset about a lot of things. You鈥檝e got to work back into it. I need to understand that. But it鈥檚 a part of who I am. When I mess up, I can鈥檛 take it too hard.鈥�
Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki is mostly used as a receiving threat. Tight end Drew Sample is a blocker who hasn鈥檛 offered the Bengals a ton as a receiver. There isn鈥檛 another player quite like All on the roster.
鈥淓rick is built a certain way physically and mentally,鈥� Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a (tail) kicker. He鈥檚 violent. He loves that. It鈥檚 not that we don鈥檛 have big, strong and tough guys on this team. There are a lot of them. Erick is up there at the top.鈥�
The Bengals are heavily featuring All in training camp so far with both his blocks in the run game as well as his ability to make plays in the passing game. His teammates can tell how excited he is to make an impact.
鈥淣o one wants to play football more than him right now,鈥� Sample said. 鈥淗e has done a fantastic job. He has been in here for the last year and a half grinding away.鈥�
All is much stronger than he was in 2024. He spent the offseason doing specific weight training designed to improve his power as a blocker. It was the most normal, injury-free offseason he has had since 2021, which gave him extra time to build up his strength.
He worked a lot on pull-down machines in the weight room.
鈥淥n offense, when you鈥檙e blocking someone, you鈥檙e pulling them to you and the defense is trying to extend you away,鈥� All said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to (pull) as strong as possible.鈥�
His work has shown up in a big way.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a really physical football player,鈥� Gesicki said. 鈥淲hat he does in the run and pass game and the things defenses have to account for when he鈥檚 on the field, he鈥檚 very versatile. I鈥檓 excited to get him rolling. I don鈥檛 think he has scratched the surface.鈥�
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