Cincinnati Bengals: Fairfield grad Erick All Jr. found confidence in surviving injury scare on vacation
· Yahoo Sports
Aug. 1—A scary incident overseas this summer ironically gave Cincinnati Bengals tight end Erick All Jr. the assurance he needed in his comeback from 2024 knee surgery.
Now in his first training camp back, the Fairfield High School graduate is anxious to go full throttle while the Bengals are easing him into the mix, despite being fully cleared.
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All was walking along the sidewalk in Greece when a three-wheel truck — which he described as similar to a moped — slammed into him, tossing him to the ground. He bounced up with just some scrapes on his face and a couple bumps and bruises.
What could have been a really bad accident actually helped All regain confidence after a brutal first two years in the NFL. Midway through his rookie season in 2024, he retore the ACL he injured in college and missed the entire 2025 campaign as well.
"I got up and was like, 'I'm (expletive) ready, I'm ready,'" All said. "And it didn't hurt me at all. But it just kind of gave me that confidence, like, 'Oh, I'm back.'"
All said the driver had swerved to avoid colliding with someone else as he was about to cross the street, and the three-wheeler ended up hitting him pretty hard, like he was getting blocked by a defensive tackle.
It felt like a football play, but All is used to being the one tossing opponents to the ground.
"That did a lot of good things for the mental, I'm telling you," All said. "Because that's what I do. I'm here for the physicality, and so, you know, after not playing for a while, and I got smacked by that thing, and I got up, 'I'm like, that's as big of a hit that anybody could give.' That's the first time I ever got pancaked, ever, and so I'm like, 'If I can take that, I'm good.' I'm usually the hammer."
All said his friends were stunned he was OK. Maybe it shouldn't have been so surprising.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor has said the physicality that All brings is what makes him such an asset in the tight end room.
"He loves football, and he loves the physical portion of football," Taylor said earlier this summer. "The word 'physical' in the dictionary is a picture of Erick All trying to put his face through somebody's soul, and that's the best way I can describe him."
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The Bengals still want to be cautious with All after how much time he's missed from real football, so he's considered "limited," he said. That means he isn't doing special teams yet, but he's been in team and individual drills with the offense.
Just being cleared was a big deal for him.
All participated in the offseason workouts and was doing most activities then, but when he reported July 25 with the rookies and other rehabbing players, he was overjoyed to learn he passed his physical to be cleared in full.
"I had to leave the training room," All said of his reaction to being told he was cleared. "I got teary-eyed for a little bit."
All said he is feeling "great, completely normal," and he had no reservations about getting back into practices. The Bengals aren't in pads until Monday, Aug. 3, but he has surprised his coaches with how willing he has been to get right into the mix.
The hardest part has been not participating in special teams, which he also loves.
"I get we got to be smart," All said. "You can only do so much right away. You got to be smart about things, just in case. But I feel like I'm ready to go, full go. I feel great."
There is still uncertainty over what All will look like in actual games, after so much time away and such a serious knee injury; however, he's been impressive through the first few days of training camp.
All showed a ton of promise in his brief rookie season — playing on a knee that he admits now wasn't fully right — and could be a huge addition to the offense if he's able to perform at that level again.
"It's great to have him back," said Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. "Obviously, he had a lot going on with his knee, but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. He looks fit, fast, explosive. He'll play a big role for us this year."