Tahj Brooks supposedly having a good minicamp

[SunsetBengal]

(Yesterday, 01:27 PM)ochocincos Wrote: If the Bengals really wanted to improve their running game, they should have invested in better IOL first and foremost.

But if we're just focusing on TEs, are Bengals in worse shape without Erick All compared to Cam Grandy?
Looking at last year, here are the PFF run blocking scores and run blocking snaps of All, Grandy, and Sample
All (109 snaps) - 49.9 run block grade (60.7 grade overall)
Sample (295 snaps) - 50.2 run block grade (48.5 grade overall)
Grandy (38 snaps - joined the Bengals after All went out for the year) - 65.6 run block grade (63.5 grade overall)

Can Grandy not be at least close to the level of blocking that Erick All was able to do?


The way I see it, this year, Bengals have Gesicki and Hudson as the pass catching TEs with Sample and Grandy as the run blocking ones.
It doesn't seem like the Bengals have an all-around TE with All out, but that's their fault for not getting (a better) one in the draft or FA.
I'm not expecting a big dropoff in the running game though compared to with or without All.
There may be some things the Bengals can't do (as well) with All out, but I would expect they can or should be able to adjust playcalling and adapt and succeed without relying solely on one role player.

Grandy does look like an interesting prospect from those grades, however that is a very small sample size. If he can average that on 150-200 run blocking snaps over the course of an entire season, then we all need to get behind and rally for him to become a fixture on the roster.

Why do Sample and Grandy need to be pigeonholed as "run blocking" TEs? Can't they also block on pass plays that they aren't the target? 

But in order for the running attack to gain any traction, it has to be a bigger part of the weekly game plan rather than an afterthought.  Allowing the OL to establish a solid rushing game will only make them more efficient in their pass blocking duties, as defenders will have to respect that the Bengals might be running the ball, instead of just knowing that they're pass rushing 70+ percent of plays that matter.