Bengals TE Hayden Hurst Eyes Revenge Game vs. Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst played for the Atlanta Falcons from 2020-21. This weekend, he'll get the chance to face his former team for the first time.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 21, 2022

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When the Atlanta Falcons face the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend, they'll see a familiar face on the opposing sideline.

Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst played the last two seasons with the Falcons before leaving for Cincinnati in free agency. In 2020, Hurst had a career year with 56 catches for 571 yards and six touchdowns. However, that didn't stop the Falcons from selecting his replacement, Kyle Pitts, with the No. 4 overall pick. With Pitts setting rookie records for tight ends, Hurst was reduced to a backup role and only caught 26 passes for 221 yards in three touchdowns.

This weekend, Hurst has the ability to beat all of those 2021 totals in just the seventh game of the season against his former team.

"I know what I'm capable of doing," Hurst said in an interview with ESPN. "I just didn't think I got to show everything in Atlanta. That's why it's kind of been fun coming here and creating chemistry with Joe [Burrow] and all these guys. Having the coaches believe in me, it's been cool."

It's fair for Hurst to feel the way he does after how last season unfolded for him. Situations like this happen all the time in the NFL, but now, Hurst gets to prove to the Falcons that they made a mistake in doubting him.

The Falcons face the Bengals Sunday at 1 p.m. at Paycor Stadium.

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Published Oct 21, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.