Tanner Hudson (born November 12, 1994) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

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for the

Southern Arkansas Muleriders The Southern Arkansas Muleriders represent Southern Arkansas University in intercollegiate athletics. They are a member of the Great American Conference and compete in NCAA Division II, fielding 16 varsity teams in 10 sports. Sports sponsored ...

Early life

Hudson was born in

Paris, Tennessee Paris is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,316. A replica of the Eiffel Tower stands in the southern part of Paris. History The present site of Par ...

, and grew up in

Big Sandy, Tennessee Big Sandy is a town in Benton County, Tennessee. The population was 486 at the 2020 census. History In the late 1850s the Memphis & Ohio Railroad constructed a line south of what is now Kentucky Lake. A community formed around a water tank an ...

. He attended Camden Central High School, where he played

and basketball. In football, Hudson played quarterback, kicker, and punter and was named the District 11-AA Most Valuable Punter as a junior after averaging 38.7 yards per punt while also passing for 581 yards and seven touchdowns with 152 yards and three touchdowns rushing. His senior season was cut short after four games due to injury.

College career

Hudson began his collegiate career as a quarterback and punter at

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

, redshirting his freshman season. He opted to transfer to

Southern Arkansas University Southern Arkansas University (SAU) is a public university in Magnolia, Arkansas, United States. The university had an enrollment of 5,100 undergraduate and graduate students as of fall 2023. History Southern Arkansas University was established ...

following his redshirt year. In his first season with the Muleriders, Hudson changed positions to wide receiver and eventually tight end while handling the team's punting duties. In each of his last three seasons Hudson caught at least 40 passes and had over 600 receiving yards. In his junior season, he set career highs with 48 catches, 763 receiving yards and nine touchdown receptions and was named second-team All-

Great American Conference The Great American Conference (GAC) is a List of NCAA conferences, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division II, Division II level, with headquarters located in Russellvil ...

(GAC) while also finishing third in the conference in yards per punt with 41.9. As a senior, Hudson had 43 receptions for 624 yards and six touchdowns and was named first-team All-GAC and a second-team All-American by the

American Football Coaches Association The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "mainta ...

and the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association. He finished his collegiate career with 143 receptions for 2,152 yards and 25 touchdown catches.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2018

Hudson signed with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on April 29, 2018. He was cut at the end of training camp but was re-signed to the Buccaneers practice squad on September 2, 2018. Hudson was promoted to the active roster for the final two weeks of the 2018 season, but did not appear in either game.

2019

Hudson made the Buccaneers final roster to begin the 2019 season. Hudson made his NFL debut on October 27, 2019, against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. Hudson caught his first career pass, a 12-yard reception from

Jameis Winston Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January6, 1994) is an American professional football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, becoming the youngest pl ...

, on November 3, 2019, in a 40–33 loss to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

. Hudson finished the season with two receptions for 26 yards in nine games played with one start.

2020

Hudson re-signed with the Buccaneers on a one-year contract on March 13, 2020. He was waived by the Buccaneers during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and was signed to the practice squad the following day. He was elevated to the active roster on September 19 for the team's week 2 game against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

, and reverted to the practice squad the day after the game. He was promoted to the active roster on September 23, 2020. Hudson finished the season with three receptions on seven targets for 41 yards. Hudson played in the

Super Bowl LV Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Conferen ...

victory over the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, earning a single target. Hudson was given an exclusive-rights free agent tender by the Buccaneers on March 9, 2021. He was released on August 31, 2021.

San Francisco 49ers

On September 3, 2021, Hudson was signed to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on January 1, 2022. He was waived on January 7, 2022, and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the 49ers on February 2, 2022. He was waived on August 23.

New York Giants

On August 25, 2022, the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

signed Hudson. On December 3, 2022, Hudson was waived.

Cincinnati Bengals

2022

On December 6, 2022, the

signed Hudson to their practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 31, 2023.

2023

Hudson was released on August 29, 2023, and signed back to the practice squad the following day. On September 25, he was promoted to the active roster and reverted back to the practice squad after the Week 3 game against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. Ahead of the Bengals Week 4 game against the Titans, Hudson was elevated a second time to the active roster on September 30. On November 1, Hudson was signed to the active roster. Hudson started the Week 9 game against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, and netted 4 receptions for 45 yards. The following week against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

he had a career-high six receptions in the game, five of which came in the first quarter alone. Hudson scored his first career touchdown in Week 14 win against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

. He finished the season with 39 receptions for 352 yards in addition to his one touchdown, making 2023 his best statistical season of his career. On March 15, 2024, Hudson re-signed with the Bengals. On March 7, 2025, Hudson signed a one-year contract extension with the Bengals.

References

External links

Cincinnati Bengals bioSouthern Arkansas Muleriders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hudson, Tanner 1994 births Living people American football punters American football tight ends Memphis Tigers football players People from Camden, Tennessee Players of American football from Tennessee San Francisco 49ers players Southern Arkansas Muleriders football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players New York Giants players Cincinnati Bengals players