Bengals 2025 Roster Breakdown: Drew Sample remains Cincinnati's true starting tight end

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By John Sheeran | Last updated Jun 10, 2025 2:02 PM ET

Bengals roster breakdown is back! During the 99 days leading up to Cincinnati's regular season opener against the Cleveland Browns, the player with the matching jersey number as days remaining will become the day's highlighted player.

89 days remain until the Bengals' first game of the 2025 season, which brings No. 89 Drew Sample into focus.

Drew Sample

Age: 29
Year: 7th
Position: Tight end
College: Washington
Previous Teams: None
Jersey Number: 89

Sample enters his seventh season with the Bengals after being drafted 52nd overall in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He's racked up exactly 100 receptions for 730 yards and four touchdowns in 78 games played (50 starts) on top of four playoff games during his first six years in Cincinnati.

The Bengals started Sample during his second season in 2020 after C.J. Uzomah suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2, but Sample went back to a role player in 2021 and missed almost the entire 2022 season with an injury of his own. He was retained in 2023 on a cheap one-year deal and would up starting 10 games. The offense found new ways to utilize his skillset that season and decided to make him a foundational piece of the puzzle going forward. He started 15 games in 2024 as the true inline TE1 on the depth chart.

Sample is also the last member of Zac Taylor's first draft class still with the team. This became official when Germaine Pratt was released.

Contract Details

Sample is in the second year of his three-year, $10.5 million contract he signed in the 2024 offseason. He will earn a base salary of $2.45 million this season and can earn up to $250,000 in per game roster bonuses. He's also in the process of earning a $50,000 workout bonus.

The amount of cash Sample can earn this year is the same as his salary cap hit of $2.75 million. Cincinnati can also release Sample at any point between now and the conclusion of his deal and take on zero dead money.

Roster Outlook

The Bengals have one of the most unique tight end groups in the NFL. Mike Gesicki makes the most money but is essentially a big slot receiver whereas Sample handles the old school duties of the position. This is why you may see Sample out-snap Gesicki in certain weeks and why you'll almost always see the former on the field for the first play of the game.

It's an interesting dynamic with similar players underneath them on the depth chart, but it works for Cincy's offense. Sample headlining the group is not going to change this year, especially with Erick All Jr. out until 2026.

Projected role: Starting tight end