Bengals TE Drew Sample discusses contract extension and his blocking prowess

The elite blocking tight end inked a new three-year deal with the Bengals.

Tight end Drew Sample will stay with the Cincinnati Bengals, the only franchise he’s ever played for, as he agreed to a three-year extension with the team in the opening days of free agency.

The 27-year-old tight end was drafted by the Bengals in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Washington and has played each of his first five years as a pro in the Queen City.

“We have a house here. We live here most of the time. We were able to bring the whole family down to the stadium. That was nice,” Sample told Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson. “The kids are always excited to come to work with me. We picked them up at school. They’re Cincinnati, Ohioans, which is cool. It’s a good feeling to be able to stay in the same place. Especially in the NFL.”

While he has caught just 80 passes for 621 yards and three touchdowns in his NFL career, he has been the Bengals’ most reliable blocking tight end for multiple seasons when healthy.

“Only four tight ends had more than Sample’s 84 pass blocks. Working out of a variety of spots, Sample allowed four pressures, third-fewest among tight ends with at least 60 pass blocks, many in the backfield,” Hobson wrote, breaking down Sample’s 2023 season.

“In college, I did some of that. My versatility is something I’m proud of. I can do different things. I can block from different places,” Sample told Hobson. “That’s value to our system. In six years, our offense is always evolving and me knowing that I can evolve in whatever the run game has to be, whatever the play-action passing game has to be, that’s always important.”

Sample will re-join a Bengals tight end room set to add former Miami Dolphin and New England Patriot Mike Gesicki and likely will add another new face or two in free agency or the upcoming NFL Draft.