Cincinnati Bengals tight end Erick All Jr. arrives before a preseason NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Cincinnati.
Tanner Pearson - FR172171 AP
Erick All Jr. thought his first game since re-tearing his ACL in November 2024 would be a little more “dramatic,” but the Cincinnati Bengals tight end said it was like “another day at the office.”
The Fairfield High School graduate said he was excited to play, and it’s probably a good thing it felt so routine after so much time away from games. He was grateful.
All had torn his ACL in his final college season, but the Bengals’ 2024 fourth-round draft pick opened his rookie campaign healthy and was making a noticeable impact on the offense before he re-injured the knee in a Week 9 win over the Raiders. More than 15 months later, he returned to competition with eight snaps on the first drive of a 27-9 win over the Chicago Bears on Saturday at Paycor Stadium.
“It felt great,” All said. “It's been like a like a year and a half ago. I was like, man, I can't wait for this moment. It was great. It was a great feeling.”
Jogging out onto the field in front of fans and lining up against another opponent was special, All said, but he was hoping to get hit or make a physical play, and it just didn’t pan out that way.
All was only supposed to get about five snaps, just to get his feet wet, Bengals coach Zac Taylor said, but after his snaps, he looked over at his coaches and they told him to go back in for another few plays.
After so much time away and rehabbing, All thought maybe he would feel more emotional about it. Maybe a regular-season game will be different.
“In the time like when you're going through it, you're kind of like, you would think it would be more dramatic, and you're like just looking forward to it,” All said. “But then when the time comes, you're locked in and you ain’t really thinking about too much of all the hard work and stuff like that, where you were at. So it's a little weird.”
All said he “got a couple inline blocking plays,” which was good; however, he would like to get a sit block on somebody else and cut on an opponent. He is hoping he will get that opportunity in the preseason finale Friday in Philadelphia, but All said he doesn’t know the plan for that yet.
Playing for eight snaps on Saturday felt like another box to check off in his recovery process.
“I forgot how fun it is when it's a game versus practice, and practice is like you’re dog tired, but in the game it's more fun,” All said. “You're itchy to get back out there.”
Even if he felt like he could have been more involved or gotten the feeling of a big hit, All said it was good to be able to play through to a whistle and against an opponent that gives different looks and doesn’t know his tendencies.
He has been confident he would be ready to compete since he was hit by a three-wheel truck walking on the sidewalks in Greece in June and suffered only minor scrapes and bruises. He got up feeling like he could take any NFL hit and be fine.
Asked if he had any nerves or jitters going into the game, All said it’s “hard to describe” how he was feeling.
“You've been there a million times, and you know, but it was definitely a little different getting out there after sitting out for a while,” All said. “It was kind of like… you worry about the unknown. It's the chance that you get hurt and stuff like that. You know, that's always like something that you're aware of.”
Taylor acknowledged how big this week would be for All getting his first game action in almost two years.
But he also said his return has been big for Cincinnati’s offense.
“I know he was in a car crash, so that's a little silly to say, but it's like a car crash on every play,” Taylor said, referring to All getting hit by a three-wheel truck in Greece in June. “It’s the mentality he plays with, and it's really good for an offense to be able to utilize a guy in a lot of different ways. Loves football. I think everyone that's talked to him sees that very clearly. Really excited to get him back out there and get a chance to compete for another team.
“For him, I mean, this is a long time coming. He did it, you know, almost two years ago now. And so, I think for him to have the opportunity to hit someone other than a Bengal or a car is exciting for him. And I'm excited for him too. I mean, this guy's really worked hard in the rehab phase for someone who's really had football taken away from him for close to two years, and now he has a chance to get back there, and I'm happy for him.”