The topic is Hayden Hurst after final Sunday’s six catches stored him on tempo with a former Bengals tight ends receiving report and at present stored him in considered one of Travis Kelce’s main 18 third catches each tight finish within the NFL.
However that is not the very first thing that involves thoughts for coach James Casey.
“Have you ever seen this block? Casey of Hurst asks the Titans semi-viral mash to Bud Dupree within the 20-16 win.
The three tight ends, who performed no less than 14 snaps in a detailed recreation for the primary time because the Sept. 29 win over Miami, blocked like that in Nashville because the Bengals hammered for 108 yards and held the ball for 31:46 in opposition to the The second-best working protection within the NFL.
(Try working again Samaje Perine’s seven-yard landing run as tight finish Mitchell Wilcox seals linebacker Dylan Cole and additional deal with Hakeem Adeniji backs up security Kevin Byard in the long run zone.)
However Hurst additionally added his longest catch as a Bengal with a 29-yard fingertip catch on a seamless Joe Burrow seam ball after which added his seventeenth catch on third down in what’s shaping as much as be the one of the crucial productive seasons by a Cincinnati tight finish. on this century.
“The tight finish place, normally you simply will not have a bunch of alternatives within the passing recreation until you are a primary decide or Travis Kelce or a man like Zach Ertz,” stated Casey, who had 72 catches in seven NFL seasons.
“Aside from that, you do a whole lot of soiled work and also you’re an entrusted under-receiver for the quarterback. They’re taking part in within the zone and also you’re within the void the place the ball ought to go, you have bought a fantastic quarterback- again that may convey it to you. I believe Hayden is doing a fantastic job of creating Burrow increasingly more snug with him and trusting him increasingly more.
Hurst has the benefit of an additional recreation, however with 46 catches, he’s near equaling Dan Ross’ membership report for tight finish catches with 71 units within the first Tremendous Bowl season of 1981. With 388 yards, he is on tempo to hit 600, probably the most by a Bengals tight finish since Tyler Eifert’s 2015 Professional Bowl season. Solely Eifert and Jermaine Gresham have reached this century’s determine with Gresham’s 737 in 2012 main the way in which.
He could solely have 8.4 yards per catch, however Burrow considers all of that 8.4 invaluable. That is ok to transform a 3rd down or get you nearer to the primary and second down. In response to Professional Soccer Focus, Hurst has only one down and his 17 catches on third down are simply behind Kelce.
“You see again and again he will get the quick ball and will get seven yards, and it is so important to have that tight finish,” Burrow stated after the sport. “You need to get us these additional soiled yards and that is what he does so effectively.”
They will each be right here Sunday (4:25 p.m. – Cincinnati Native 12) when Kelce takes his Chiefs 9-2 to Paycor Stadium. Kelce, a well-recognized face as a former College of Cincinnati all-time participant and the best tight finish of his technology, is making one thing of a homecoming. Hurst, on his third staff, now calls this dwelling.
“Hurst has completed a fantastic job of being the place he must be. And he is a fast, athletic man,” Casey stated of the previous first-round decide. “He runs good after the catch. Being in the appropriate spot on a regular basis, you by no means know. We now have nice receivers which can be open. By no means get pissed off. Simply preserve hitting the roads. And when Burrow wants you, no matter regardless of the protection, then you’re all the time trusted to get these takes.
“I do not assume it is deliberate. On occasion there are performs which can be meant for Hayden, however a whole lot of occasions we name performs which can be good performs and Burrow simply will get the ball again the place he wants it. If he retains doing his job, I hope he will get increasingly more alternatives.”
Extra would put him past even Danny Ross’ tempo. The subsequent prolific shut season for the Bengals is Gresham on this 2012 season with 64 catches.