Inside The Huskies

Sample Catches First NFL Touchdown Pass Against Texans

The former University of Washington tight end continues to play well in his second pro season.
Dan Raley|
Sample Catches First NFL Touchdown Pass Against Texans
Sample Catches First NFL Touchdown Pass Against Texans

He's now a full Sample.

Into his 24th career game with the Cincinnati Bengals, Drew Sample had showed himself worthy of serving as a starting NFL tight end by demonstrating ample receiving and blocking abilities.

The former University of Washington player had done everything at the next level except score.

On Sunday, the 6-foot-5, 258-pounder fixed that by hauling in an 8-yard touchdown pass from Bengals quarterback Brandon Allen at the outset of a 37-31 victory over the Houston Texans on the road.

Sample, a second-year pro from Bellevue, Washington, lined up to the left, ran an out route, made the catch with no one close to him and raced into the end zone untouched, capping an 8-play, 71-yard opening drive.

Even with No. 1 overall draft pick and rookie quarterback Joe Burrows going down with a season-ending injury for Cincinnati, which has struggled through a 4-10-1 record, Sample has enjoyed a highly productive season no matter who's behind center.

He's caught 38 balls for 334 yards in his second NFL season and has now added that one score to his Bengals repertoire.

While sharing UW tight-end duties with the likes of Will Dissly and Hunter Bryant, Sample caught 46 passes for 467 yards and 5 scores in 51 Husky games. The Bengals took him in the second round of the 2019 draft with the 52nd pick.

Sample is one of five former Husky tight ends now employed in the NFL, joining Arizona's Darrell Daniels, Philadelphia's Joshua Perkins (injured reserve), Dissly and Bryant, all four-year pros or less.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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