Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton says rookie tight end Drew Sample is fitting right in with the team's offense.
Dalton spoke highly of Sample to Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson (via Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper) on May 28.
He's picked up on things quickly. He's what you want in a tight end. ‘Polished' is a good word for him.
Some of these guys, you wonder if he's going to be too big for them and all that stuff. But he comes in and he fits right in. It's good to see.
When you get a guy like that in the second (round), you want him to be what he is. So it's good to see him out there with everybody and see how he fits.
Andy Dalton: Rookie TE Drew Sample "fits right in" offense #Bengals https://t.co/Ly2ai3PNUD
— Bengals Talk (@Bengals_TT) June 2, 2019
The Bengals made Sample the 52nd overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft out of the University of Washington. Cincinnati's seventh-year tight end, Tyler Eifert, also gushed about Sample. He told Hobson, “He's been thrown in the mix right away and he's done a great job understanding the offense.”
Article Continues BelowNot only that, but Bengals tight ends coach James Casey also has sung Sample's praises. In fact, the former told Hobson that Sample is “way better than I was coming out.” Sample's recent showing has brought flashbacks of Casey's rookie OTAs with the Houston Texans in 2009, per Hobson.
Eifert is back with the Bengals on a one-year contract in 2019. Nonetheless, the Bengals fortified their tight end corps with the drafting of Sample in April. Fifth-year tight end C.J. Uzomah rounds out Cincinnati's tight end rotation.
Coaches and players are taking notice of TE Drew Sample during OTAs.
Sample Of Sample As Advertised 📰: https://t.co/Yw7QSOg6uJ pic.twitter.com/5V9qfZFu9U
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) May 29, 2019
Could Sample emerge as the Bengals' go-to tight end in the 2019 NFL season? Stay tuned.