Former Washington Huskies standout tight end Drew Sample has embarked on his eighth potential season for the Cincinnati Bengals, while rookie cornerback Tacario Davis watched from the sidelines in their team's 16-14 victory over the Detroit Lions to open the NFL preseason. Sample, a second-round pick by the AFC North organization in the 2019 NFL draft, logged a catch for 2 yards to extend the Bengals' only scoring drive in the first half. Former No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow hit the ex-UW pass-catcher and Newport High School product on a third-and-2 to keep Cincinnati on the field at the 6:42 mark in the first quarter on Thursday night. Six plays later, the Bengals took the first lead in the game via an Evan McPherson 56-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead.
Zac Taylor satisfied with the defense, not ideal having Joe Burrow hit a couple of times, Tacario Davis came close to playing but decided to hold him out, rookies Jack Endries, Colbie Young stood out. — Mike Petraglia (@Trags) August 14, 2026 As Sample made his first appearance in what will be his eighth season in the NFL, Davis, a third-round pick in April's draft, watched the two-point win from the sidelines as coach Zac Taylor made the choice to hold him out of the first of three preseason games. "Pretty close," Taylor said of how close Davis came to playing Thursday night. "If it was a real game, he would absolutely play." Davis made seven starts for the Huskies in 2025 after transferring to the Big Ten program after three seasons at Arizona—two of which he spent playing for Jedd Fisch and John Richardson. The former Millikan High School standout recorded 19 tackles and a pair of interceptions, the second of which came in a crucial 42-25 win at Husky Stadium over then-No. 23-ranked Illinois, in his only season at UW. Before his move to Seattle, the California native earned second-team All-Big 12 honors in his final season at Arizona while also being a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award in 2024, given to the best defensive back in college football. This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Former Washington Football CB Sits In First Preseason Game