Who Should I Start? Noah Fant or Drew Sample

Wednesday, November 20, 8:20 PM

Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (groin) missed another practice on Wednesday as the club begins preparing for their Week 12 tilt against the division-rival Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. In addition, Brady Russell (foot) was a DNP. Fant suffered a groin injury the day before Halloween and missed games in Weeks 9 and 11 (Seattle had a bye in Week 10). Unless the 27-year-old is able to make progress in two practices to close out the week, he figures to be in line to miss a third straight game. If that happens, rookie AJ Barner will represent a low-end TE2 sleeper for the third straight week. The 22-year-old fourth-round selection out of Michigan earlier this year has caught six passes on 11 targets for 42 yards and no touchdowns the last two games with Fant sidelined. Barner's lone TD pass of his rookie season came back in the Week 4 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Monday, March 11, 4:49 PM

The Cincinnati Bengals re-signed tight end Drew Sample to a three-year, $10.5 million contract extension on Monday, according to a source. Sample will receive $3.5 million in 2024. In his fifth year with the Bengals in 2023, Sample had 22 catches on 27 targets for 163 yards and a career-high two touchdowns in 17 games (10 starts). Tanner Hudson, Mitchell Wilcox and Irv Smith Jr. are all free agents, but one or more of them could be retained or the Bengals could add competition at the position through the NFL draft. The 27-year-old Sample has accumulated just 80 receptions (103 targets) for 621 yards and three touchdowns in his five years in the NFL with Cincy, so it would be unrealistic to expect the Bengals to utilize him as their unquestioned No. 1 pass-catching TE in 2024.