Drew Sample
Drew Sample (born April 16, 1996) is an American professional football tight end and fullback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft.
_(cropped).jpg) Sample with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 | |||||||||
| No. 89 – Cincinnati Bengals | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Tight end, fullback | ||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | April 16, 1996 Bellevue, Washington, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 260 lb (118 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Newport (Bellevue) | ||||||||
| College | Washington (2014–2018) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2019: 2nd round, 52nd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Drew Sample (born April 16, 1996) is an American professional football tight end and fullback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft.[1]
Early life
[edit]Drew Sample was born on April 16, 1996, in Bellevue, Washington.[2] He attended Newport High School in Bellevue.[2]
College career
[edit]Sample caught 46 passes for 487 yards and five touchdowns in his four seasons at Washington. As a senior, he caught 25 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns, earning him an honorable mention on the All-Pac-12 Conference team.[3][4]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+3⁄4 in (1.95 m) |
255 lb (116 kg) |
33+3⁄8 in (0.85 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.71 s | 1.58 s | 2.73 s | 4.31 s | 7.15 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) |
9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) | ||
| All values from NFL Combine[5][6][7] | ||||||||||||
Sample was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round with the 52nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.[8] He started the season as the third tight end on the depth chart, behind C. J. Uzomah and Tyler Eifert. He made his first career catch in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers. He was placed on injured reserve on December 7, 2019, with an ankle injury.[9] He finished the season with five catches for 30 yards through nine games and two starts.[10]
Sample received significantly more playing time in 2020 due to an Uzomah suffering a season-ending injury. Sample played in all 16 games and started in 13. He caught 40 passes for 349 yards and a touchdown, in Week 17 against the Houston Texans.[11]
In the 2021 season, Sample appeared in all 17 games, starting in 8 of them. He finished the regular season with 11 receptions for 81 yards.[12] In the Bengals' playoff run en route to Super Bowl LVI, he recorded 1 catch for 4 yards in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Sample primarily contributed to the Bengals as a blocking specialist.
Sample started the first two games of the 2022 season, where he was once again heavily used as a blocker. In Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, Sample suffered a season-ending knee injury and was placed on injured reserve on October 3, 2022.[13]
On April 14, 2023, Sample re-signed with the Bengals on a one-year contract.[14] He was named the second tight end on the depth chart behind Irv Smith Jr., but saw starting time due to Smith injuring his hamstring in Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens.[15] Sample caught two touchdown passes in 2023, one in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills, and the other in Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, being his first touchdowns in three years.[16] Sample finished the season with 163 yards, 22 receptions, and a touchdown. Sample was graded by the analytics website Pro Football Focus as the eighth best blocking tight end in the league during the 2023 NFL season.
On March 11, 2024, Sample signed a three-year, $10.5 million contract extension with the Bengals through the 2026 season.[17]
During the 2024 season, Sample recorded 20 receptions on 22 targets for 109 yards and 1 touchdown and recorded one rushing attempt for a loss of 4 yards.
When defensive end Sam Hubbard, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft, announced his retirement on March 5, 2025, Sample became the longest-tenured active member of the Bengals[18]. During the 2025 season, Sample recorded 15 receptions on 20 targets for 106 yards and 1 touchdown and recorded one rushing attempt for a gain of 3 yards.
Career statistics
[edit]NFL
[edit]| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career best |
Regular season
[edit]| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2019 | CIN | 9 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 30 | 6.0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | CIN | 16 | 13 | 53 | 40 | 349 | 8.7 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | CIN | 17 | 8 | 15 | 11 | 81 | 7.4 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | CIN | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | -2 | -1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | CIN | 17 | 10 | 27 | 22 | 163 | 7.4 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | CIN | 17 | 15 | 22 | 20 | 109 | 5.5 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | CIN | 17 | 12 | 20 | 15 | 106 | 7.1 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 95 | 62 | 145 | 115 | 836 | 7.3 | 27 | 5 | 2 | 1 | |
Playoffs
[edit]| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2021 | CIN | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
College
[edit]| Season | Games | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | |||
| Washington Huskies | ||||||||
| 2014 | Redshirt 
| |||||||
| 2015 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 45 | 9.0 | 2 | ||
| 2016 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 106 | 11.8 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 84 | 12.0 | 0 | ||
| 2018 | 14 | 14 | 25 | 252 | 10.1 | 3 | ||
| Career | 52 | 40 | 46 | 487 | 10.6 | 5 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ Jude, Adam (April 26, 2019). "UW tight end Drew Sample selected in second round of NFL draft by Cincinnati Bengals". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ a b "Drew Sample". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ "Drew Sample College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- ^ "Drew Sample". Washington Huskies. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ "Drew Sample Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ "2019 NFL Draft Scout Drew Sample College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Drew Sample 2019 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ Marcum, Jason (April 26, 2019). "Bengals select Drew Sample in Round 2". SB Nation. Vox Media. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ "Bengals Sign Henderson, Place Sample on Reserve/Injured". Bengals.com. December 7, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ "Drew Sample 2019 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- ^ "Drew Sample 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- ^ "Drew Sample 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- ^ "Bengals Roster Moves: Sample Placed on Reserved/Injured List". Bengals.com. October 3, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ "Bengals Re-Sign Drew Sample". Bengals.com. April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Irv Smith Jr. Is Doubtful For MNF In Week 3". www.rotoballer.com. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ "WATCH: Drew Sample Score Key Touchdown In Cincinnati's Win Over Buffalo Sunday Night". 247Sports. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Bengals Re-Sign Drew Sample". Bengals.com. March 11, 2024.
- ^ https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/44121503/long-bengals-de-sam-hubbard-retiring-seven-seasons
External links
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