Player
Tanner Hudson
TE · Bengals
Hudson's survival — UDFA to 8-season veteran — is rare; fewer than 5% of undrafted TEs reach year 5, let alone year 8 as an active contributor. His Cincinnati landing zone turned a career of fringe roster spots into a defined NFL role.
UDFA out of Southern Arkansas in 2018 — now in year 8 as the Bengals' TE2 behind Mike Gesicki.
TrendHudson by season
| Season | Team | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | TB | 5 | 2 | 26 | 0 |
| 2020 | TB | 7 | 3 | 41 | 0 |
| 2022 | NYG | 15 | 10 | 132 | 0 |
| 2023 | CIN | 50 | 39 | 352 | 1 |
| 2024 | CIN | 23 | 19 | 154 | 1 |
| 2025 | CIN | 24 | 19 | 168 | 2 |
Hudson signed with Tampa as an undrafted free agent in 2018 (Southern Arkansas/Memphis), bounced from the 49ers practice squad (2021) to the Giants (2022) before landing in Cincinnati in 2023.
The 2023 Bengals season was his career breakout: 39 catches, 352 yards, 1 TD — all career highs. He's held the TE2 role behind Drew Sample/Mike Gesicki ever since.
Why it matters. Hudson's survival — UDFA to 8-season veteran — is rare; fewer than 5% of undrafted TEs reach year 5, let alone year 8 as an active contributor. His Cincinnati landing zone turned a career of fringe roster spots into a defined NFL role.
On 3rd down as a Bengal: 19 of 38 targets converted — a 50% rate that matches Kittle and bests Andrews.
Split3rd-down conversion rate, TEs 2023–25 (min 20 3rd-down targets)
| Rank | Player | 3rd-Dn Tgt | Conv | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travis Kelce | 78 | 48 | 61.5% |
| 3 | George Kittle | 65 | 37 | 56.9% |
| 4 | Mark Andrews | 50 | 28 | 56.0% |
| 8 | Tanner Hudson | 38 | 19 | 50.0% |
| 9 | Pat Freiermuth | 60 | 30 | 50.0% |
| 11 | Mike Gesicki | 54 | 26 | 48.1% |
| 14 | Dallas Goedert | 49 | 23 | 46.9% |
Tanner Hudson is the 8th-most efficient 3rd-down TE in the NFL over the last three seasons (among those with ≥20 3rd-down targets), converting 19 of 38 opportunities (50.0%).
That rate ties Freiermuth, beats Gesicki and Goedert, and sits alongside Kittle and Andrews — all on 38 targets from a depth role behind the starter. Burrow finds him on third-and-manageable because Hudson almost never drops a catchable ball.
Why it matters. 3rd-down conversion rate measures actual offense extension, not just volume — Hudson delivering first downs at an elite rate from a TE2 role is the mechanism that keeps drives alive and explains why the Bengals re-sign him every year.
79.4% catch rate on 97 Bengals targets — 3rd among all NFL TEs with ≥75 targets since 2023.
RareTE catch rate leaders 2023–25 (min 75 targets)
| Rank | Player | Tgt | Rec | Catch % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ja'Tavion Sanders | 77 | 62 | 80.5% |
| 2 | Elijah Higgins | 80 | 64 | 80.0% |
| 3 | Tanner Hudson | 97 | 77 | 79.4% |
| 4 | George Kittle | 253 | 200 | 79.1% |
| 5 | Austin Hooper | 116 | 91 | 78.4% |
| 7 | Cole Kmet | 193 | 150 | 77.7% |
| 14 | Trey McBride | 422 | 318 | 75.4% |
Among every TE with at least 75 targets since 2023, only Ja'Tavion Sanders and Elijah Higgins catch a higher percentage of their targets than Tanner Hudson.
Hudson's 79.4% sits above George Kittle (79.1%), Cole Kmet (77.7%), and Trey McBride (75.4%) — all starters. His volume is low (97 targets over 3 seasons), but when Burrow puts the ball in his direction, it almost always results in a catch.
Why it matters. Catch rate on a per-target basis captures hands reliability independent of volume — Hudson ranking 3rd league-wide at his position tells you he is one of the safest short-area targets in football, even as a backup.
Took 5 seasons and 21 games to score his first NFL TD — Week 14, 2023 vs Indianapolis (not Houston).
RareFrom his 2018 debut through Week 13 of 2023, Hudson played 21 regular-season games with 0 receiving TDs — 58 targets, 41 catches, 427 yards, zero scores.
The first came in Cincinnati against Indianapolis in Week 14 of 2023, an 11-yard Jake Browning pass. From there: 1 TD in 2023, 1 in 2024, and 2 in 2025 — Burrow and Browning have finally trusted him in the red zone, and the career trajectory has flipped from "depth body" to "reliable short-area scorer."
TD count by season
| Season | TDs |
|---|---|
| 2018–22 (5 yrs) | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 |
Why it matters. The 21-game TD drought underscores how Hudson was used for half a decade as a pure route-running check-down with no red-zone role; landing in Cincinnati is what finally gave him end-zone opportunities.
UDFA Hudson has 77 Bengals catches in 3 seasons — nearly matching Drew Sample's 115 across 7.
ComparisonSince 2019 Cincinnati has cycled through paid/drafted TEs: C.J. Uzomah, Drew Sample (2nd-rd 2019), Hayden Hurst, Irv Smith Jr., Mike Gesicki. Hudson — UDFA, signed off the Giants practice squad — has been the TE2 constant from 2023 onward.
Drew Sample produced 115 receptions and 836 yards as a Bengal across 7 seasons (2019–2025). Hudson has 77 catches and 674 yards in just 3 Bengals seasons — on pace to match Sample's 7-year Cincinnati footprint in roughly half the time.
Bengals TEs since 2019 (CIN regular-season totals)
| Player | CIN Seasons | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Sample | 7 (2019–25) | 115 | 836 | 5 |
| Tanner Hudson | 3 (2023–25) | 77 | 674 | 4 |
| Mike Gesicki | 2 (2024–25) | 67 | 638 | 4 |
Why it matters. Seeing a UDFA approach a 2nd-round pick's 7-year production in 3 seasons illustrates both how efficiently Hudson has been used and how inconsistently the Bengals' TE investments have come through.
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