Bengals TE Erick All brings a checkered injury history that most notably includes two tears of his right ACL. The most recent came in his 2024 rookie campaign, and that's the issue All's still working back from. He missed all of 2025 after requiring multiple surgeries. But it now sounds like the 26-year-old (as of Sept. 13) is ready for full duty and is helping to shape Cincinnati's offensive plan for 2026. The Bengals began lining QB Joe Burrow up under center -- rather than in shotgun -- more after All began to emerge in 2024 but scrapped the plan while he was out.
What They're Saying: All Will Matter
The Athletic's Paul Dehner: "The second coming of the under-center-All offense awaits his return. The Bengals made no secret of its installation and their re-dedication to using the under-center and play-action chapter of the playbook this offseason and in training camp."
TEs coach James Casey: "It was fun to see in '24. I thought it was justified because of how well he was doing out there when he was playing."
Dehner again: "The other tight ends for the Bengals aren't as well-rounded as All. His truly dangerous skill set allows Cincinnati to shift in ways it can't with any other player on the roster."
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: But He Probably Won't Offer Big Fantasy Help
The Bengals obviously wouldn't install such a plan if they didn't believe it would help the offense.
Lining the QB up under center tends to be good for the running game, which makes sense. Taking a handoff from that alignment rather than in shotgun allows the RB to build momentum before grabbing the ball and hitting the hole.
Play-action passing also tends to be more effective from an under-center start, giving the defense a truer run look than if the QB fakes his handoff from a shotgun start.
At the very least, Cincinnati's ability to move between alignments will make the already challenging offense even more difficult for opponent planning and execution.
But what about TE scoring?
Don't Count on Cincinnati Tight Ends
The buzz around All throughout training camp points to him likely at least matching TE Mike Gesicki in playing time, if not exceeding the veteran's snap share.
That makes Gesicki even more forgettable for fantasy than he already was off a 28-307-2 receiving line in 2025.
All, meanwhile, has managed just 2.2 catches per game in his limited NFL duty so far (nine games) and averaged a mere 1.9 receptions per game for his college career. His most productive season supplied 21 catches, 299 yards, and 3 TDs across seven games as a fifth-year senior at Iowa in 2023.
Bengals TEs collectively increased their scoring the past two years vs. the first four seasons of Burrow's career. Here's how they've ranked in total PPR points over that span:
- 2020: 29th
- 2021: 30th
- 2022: tied for 27th (points per game, because they played 16)
- 2023: 20th
- 2024: eighth
- 2025: 15th
Last year, of course, saw Burrow miss about half the season. WR Tee Higgins missed five full games in 2024, giving way to big Gesicki production in those weeks.
Don't head into 2026 expecting useful fantasy numbers from Bengals TEs in most formats. But All at least looks like the best hope among Cincinnati tight ends.
Feel free to stash him at the end of best ball and/or TE-premium drafts.
