'Not Really Thinking About It' - Erick All Ready to Put Major Injuries Behind Him in 2026 Season Opener

Erick All Jr.'s long wait is almost over.

The embattled Bengals tight end sat down for an extended chat with Fox19's Gabi Sorrentino ahead of Week 1 and can't wait to get back on the field for the first time since the 2024 season.

Major knee injuries kept the physical, versatile tight end weapon off the field all of last season, but now he's fully healthy and a possible skeleton key for the Bengals' offensive ceiling.

Almost Showtime

Sep 23, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Erick All Jr. (83) advances the ball against the Washington Commanders in the first half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

He played 231 snaps as a rookie and then tore his right ACL in Week 9 of the 2024 campaign and spent the entire 2025 season rehabbing (he had torn the same ACL in college, with complications from the surgery prolonging the recovery).

"Individually, just making it out of the season healthy, and really, that's all I care about, to be honest," All said about his top goal this year. "I don't care about anything else. I mean, as long as I'm doing good and we win games, then that's all I really care about."

The jitters and long layoff aren't really part of his thought process, a great sign he can play freely against Tampa Bay this weekend. He got a taste of game action a couple of weeks ago in the preseason win over Chicago.

"Not really thinking about it, like now (during the interview), like it kind of gets you, but when you're out there, you kind of forget about that part of it, and you just play," All noted.

All plays with an unbridled physicality that Zac Taylor has noted in the past, and the entire team is seemingly ready to display it.

“He’s trying to put his face through somebody’s soul,” Taylor said about the physical tight end.

Physicality and top effort are ready to launch out from the Bengals on Sunday.

"We're going to go out there and play our best and try our best to physically dominate," All concluded. "And that's what I really love about our team is that we got a lot of guys that are gritty and want to hit some guys; that's really rare. There's a lot of guys that aren't really about that, and I feel like we really are. And I'm looking forward to us going out there and showing them, hearing some pads popping.

Check out the full chat with Sorrentino below:

Erick All Jr. hasn't played a regular season game in almost two years after tearing his ACL his rookie season...after a long recovery, the Bengals Tight End is ready to take the field with no limitations next Sunday. #Bengals @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/Dv4y0JrDCb
— Gabi Sorrentino (@GSorrentinoTV) September 6, 2026

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