The Bengals have utilized a tight end room with distinctly different skill sets in recent years, where Gesicki and Hudson were on the field
for 80 percent of pass plays and Sample and Grandy were more indicative of run plays. They’ve looked for more All-types that are true dual threats. The irony is they found it in the seventh round on what was projected as a pass-first type. “You have to have a willingness to block, that’s A1, whether that’s an F-role or Y-role, he’s shown he’s more than willing to get in the mix,” starter Drew Sample said of Endries. “For a rookie, he did a pretty good job of having a solid base of technique and understanding angles and footwork. That’s half the battle.” The Bengals moved Endries around in the fullback spot, in-line and across the formation, setting him up to offer more than Grandy, who excelled as a run blocker but never took as a receiver. They have more faith that he will do that. After all, that’s why they drafted him.
Jay Morrison·
Endries turned a difficult week into one of the Bengals’ best rookie performances of the preseason opener. The seventh-round tight end scored a touchdown following a Detroit turnover and added an impressive 17-yard run in which he made roughly three defenders miss. That response was especially important after Kyle Dugger forced him to fumble during the night practice and Endries tripped while running uncovered during another practice, turning what could have been a big completion into an incompletion. He said those mistakes helped him refocus and learn, and his performance against Detroit strengthened his case as a player competing near the roster bubble.
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