Cincinnati Bengals Part Ways with Tight End Tanner Hudson ... for Now

The Cincinnati Bengals released tight end Tanner Hudson today to make room on the 53-man roster for former Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Myles Hinton, whom they claimed on waivers.

A seven-year veteran who spent the last three seasons with the Bengals, Hudson is a vested veteran and not subject to waivers.

The team hasn't announced the move, but it appears on the NFL's official transaction page.

Hudson is free to sign with any other team immediately, which is important to note because it likely played into the team’s decision on whom to cut to make room for Hinton.

Had the Bengals released one of the two final selections for the 53-man roster, cornerback Josh Newton or offensive lineman Jacob Bayer, one of the other 31 teams could have claimed them.

With Hudson, there could be a wink-and-nod deal that the Bengals will re-sign him. But it’s still risky because another team could offer him more money and a bigger role.

Hudson caught 77 passes for 647 yards and two touchdowns in his three seasons with the Bengals.

Including his stops with Tampa Bay, San Francisco and the New York Giants, he has 92 catches for 874 yards and four touchdowns.

Hudson caught two touchdowns last year, the first of which was Joe Flacco’s first scoring throw as a Bengal in Week 6 at Green Bay. Hudson also caught a touchdown pass from Joe Burrow in the Thanksgiving night game at Baltimore in Week 13.

It was a perfect throw from Burrow and a great catch by Hudson, beating All Pro safety Kyle Hamilton.

"That's really the only spot that ball could have been for him to make that play," tight ends coach James Casey told bengals.com. "If it's a little bit shorter, Kyle is going to be able to break it up. If it's a little bit longer, Tanner's not going to be able to reach it.

“On this play, it's just both of those guys, Burrow and Tanner, just making a play out there. Just being unbelievable athletes, unbelievable professionals. Some of the best in the world at what they're doing."

The Bengals made Hudson one of five tight ends they kept on the 53-man roster, and they were expected to bring a sixth back into the building by adding Cam Grandy to the practice squad.

But Grandy agreed to join the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad instead. That means rookie undrafted college free agent Josh Kattus is likely to be on the practice squad when the Bengals announce that list later today, with Hudson likely to follow Tuesday.

The Bengals also lost wide receiver Mitch Tinsley, who agreed to sign with the Houston Texans practice squad.

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon. Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more! We're a one-stop shop for all things Cincinnati Bengals! Join the 65,000+ Bengals fans who subscribe to us on YouTube.

Add us as a preferred source on Google