Cincinnati Bengals Tight End Erick All Jr. Relishes First Game Action in 657 Days

After 2 ACL surgeries, All is healthy and ready to be a big part of Bengals offense again

Sep 29, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Erick All Jr. (83) before the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

It was just nine snaps, but Saturday night was everything Cincinnati Bengals tight end Erick All Jr. hoped it would be.

All started the 27-9 victory against the Chicago Bears and played throughout the first series, marking his first game action in 657 days, since tearing his ACL nine games into his rookie season.

What followed was the devastating news that his original ACL surgery in college was not done properly, meaning he would need two surgeries – one to fix the original, one to repair the new damage – that would put his career in jeopardy.

So it’s easy to understand why All was feeling great in the locker room after a game in which he barely broke a sweat and didn’t have a pass thrown his way.

“It's hard to describe it,” he said. “You've been there a million times, but it was definitely a little different getting out there after sitting out for a while. You worry about the unknowns. You worry there's a chance you get hurt. Stuff like that. That's always something you're aware of, but it was cool.”

All said he rolled his ankle at one point, but it had nothing to do with why he came out of the game.

His nine snaps were nearly double what he thought the plan would be.

“I was supposed to get five plays,” All said. “I was happy to be in there past five plays. Five plays hit and I'm looking at coach, but he let me get back in there.”

He said he doesn’t expect to play Friday in the preseason finale at Philadelphia, but he would like to.

“I forgot how fun it is when it's game vs. practice,” All said. “Practice is like you're dog tired. But in a game, it's more fun. You're itching to get back out there.

“I would like to get a sift block on somebody else. I haven't got a chance to do that,” he continued. “I haven't cut anybody. I'd like to get one of those out of the way. But we'll see. If I'm able to get in at Philly, I'll be to get those.”

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