In 2023, Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson proved that he belonged

Six years later, Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson is still in touch with quarterback Patrick O’Brien. They met at the 2017 National Bowl, a lower tier senior bowl in the pre-draft circuit. Hudson was clinging to the dream that he could make it in the NFL coming out of Southern Arkansas University, and O’Brien was doing the same thing after wrapping up his career at Catawba College.

In that game, Hudson caught seven passes from O’Brien for 117 yards, including two touchdowns, and got his name on the radar in that NFL Draft cycle. Before then, he didn’t think he had much of a shot to make it, even as an undrafted free agent.

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Now, as the Bengals’ starting tight end, he’s proving that he belongs in the NFL. Without that relationship with O’Brien, he doesn’t get a chance to develop even stronger ones with Bengals quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Jake Browning.

“I knew I could play, but it was about getting the right chance to do it,” Hudson said. “This is incredible. It’s been six long years for me. To get this opportunity and take advantage of it has been great.”

Entering Week 18, Hudson ranks 21st among NFL tight ends in receiving yards per game. After spending six years on practice squads, including the start of 2023, he’s averaging 31 yards and two first down catches per game. Last year, former Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst averaged 31.8 yards and two first downs per game.

Among tight ends with at least 30 catches this season, Hudson ranks sixth in catch percentage and ninth in success rate. He's finding open space in coverage, catching just about everything that gets thrown his way and keeping the chains moving better than the average starting tight end in 2023.

Since training camp, Hudson has been a favorite of Burrow’s and Browning’s. Both quarterbacks have vouched for him, and Hudson has capitalized on his opportunity.

“I have a lot of faith in him,” Burrow said in November. “He makes plays on the scout team every week. So when he was up (off the practice squad), I felt really confident about his ability to get open and make plays for us.”

Before he got here, Hudson was cut eight different times by four different teams, including the Bengals. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and went on to make five total catches in three years.

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Last December, the Bengals signed him to their practice squad because they needed more depth. Hudson caught a fade in his first practice, making a great first impression. Every practice, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor noticed him making plays.

“It's easy to get him the ball,” Taylor said. “That's why you see him show up and all of a sudden make catches in pretty tough situations. He has got a great awareness about him. And that's why that's why he's on the team.”

This year, Hudson was a training camp star. When Browning needed to complete passes to win the backup quarterback battle, he turned to the 29-year-old tight end.

The Bengals cut Hudson at the end of the summer. He didn’t provide enough as a blocker or on special teams to beat out backup tight ends Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox for a roster spot, but Taylor reminded Hudson of how much the Bengals valued him.

Taylor told him that the Bengals loved him, and, more importantly, their quarterbacks loved him.

“Zac was very upfront and honest with me,” Hudson said. “I respect that a ton. Being able to stay and play under him with this team and this coaching staff, I was excited.”

After Irv Smith Jr. injured his hamstring early in the season, Hudson earned a call up from the practice squad in Week 3. Burrow quickly showed his confidence in him by ripping an aggressive throw to Hudson on a seam route over the middle for a 26-yard gain.

Then in November, following a game where Smith fumbled the ball near the goal line, the Bengals signed Hudson to the active roster. Since then, he has been as consistent as any Bengals pass catcher aside from Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Over the Bengals’ last nine games, Hudson has been one of the team’s top-three pass catchers in six of them.

“I just stuck with the plan and the grind,” Hudson said. “Coming here, (tight ends coach James Casey) was an incredible resource to take my game to a new level. He helped me understand offense in the NFL in general, and he helped me understand defenses. Hearing his perspective and having a coach who also played in the NFL helped a lot.”

Hudson’s limitations as a blocker will likely prevent him from being a full-time starter down the road, but he has earned a spot in the NFL as he heads into free agency this offseason.

While Hudson has come out of nowhere as a success story, none of it has looked like a fluke.

“Ever since he joined the Bengals, he has just been working,” Sample said. “Look at the skill set he has. He’s a great route runner. He can catch the ball really well. He has a really good feel for defenses. That’s been big for him. He brings a lot to our offense, and he takes advantage of his opportunities.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: In 2023, Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson proved that he belonged