Who Should I Start? Erick All Jr. or Hayden Rucci

Friday, August 23, 6:32 PM

There is a package of plays being carved out for Cincinnati Bengals rookie fourth-round tight end Erick All Jr., and the Bengals have been extremely impressed with him in training camp and the preseason. All had a full workload in the preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night and continued to impress, including a big block coming in motion to spring a Trayveon Williams run. Sixth-round rookie Tanner McLachlan didn't touch the field in the first half on Thursday, indicating that the Bengals won't be keeping him on the 53-man roster. The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. expects the Bengals to prioritize keeping undrafted free agent Cam Grandy. The 23-year-old All caught his lone target for 10 yards against Indy. All is versatile, but he's likely to be more of a blocker in 2024 as he provides depth behind Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson.

Saturday, August 24, 12:07 AM

Miami Dolphins tight end Hayden Rucci caught 5-of-6 targets for 44 yards and one touchdown in the team's 24-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rucci did most of his damage on Skylar Thompson's first drive in the second quarter -- catching three passes, including a 20-yard strike for a touchdown. He later converted a critical fourth down on Miami's final scoring drive in the third quarter. It wasn't a great night for the Dolphins' offense, but there were a few good individual performances, including Rucci, who tied for the team lead in targets with rookie running back Jaylen Wright. The Bucs seemingly had no answer for the undrafted free agent over the middle. It was a solid performance from the Wisconsin alum, but it's unclear where he stands with Jonnu Smith, Durham Smythe, Julian Hill, and Jody Fortson Jr. ahead of him on the Fins' unofficial depth chart. We'll learn more soon as Miami gears up for their home opener two weeks from Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.