If the Bengals hope to contend in the top-tier AFC North Division, they will have to make better decisions in free agency.
Over the previous few seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals offense has gained widespread recognition as one of the league’s most potent and skilled units. After all, the offensive line is stacked with pricey senior free agents, and the skill positions are loaded with first and second round draft prospects. But for the past few seasons, the organization has simply not given much attention to one position, and instead, they have relied on cheap signings to keep the squad full. The hybrid tight end position is that one.
Bengals Offense Doesn’t Consider the Tight End Position Very Important
Cincinnati hasn’t bothered making an investment in the tight end position since Tyler Eifert, a 2013 first-round choice, left in the 2019 offseason. Following Eifert, the team determined that C.J. Uzomah, a fifth-round pick in 2015, would be their main tight end option. Although Uzomah’s contract expired in the 2022 summer, he was a reliable option down the field and not a particularly dangerous player.
Cincinnati’s 2023 Offseason Addition Was Among the Worst Signs
The team chose to use former Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. after Hurst left during the previous summer. Hurst might not have been an outstanding asset in the passing game, but Smith’s performance in nine games last season—just eighteen receptions for 115 receiving yards—was dreadful. Smith had a dismal Pro Football Focus (PFF) overall rating of 44.2 at the end of the season, good for 69th place in the NFL. Tanner Hudson, the only tight end on the Cincinnati roster, had a rating of 73.0, which was good enough to rank 12th in the NFL. The other tight ends all had higher final ratings.
In fact, Smith’s performance in the previous season was so awful that teams ranked his signing as their second-worst summer acquisition (1923).
The New York Jets’ widely reported acquisition of Aaron Rodgers this summer was the only move deemed worse than the signing of Smith. Though Rodgers only played a few snaps with the Jets this season due to an injury, he will still get the chance to prove his worth to his next team, unlike Smith. Though Rodgers might chalk his vote up to poor luck, Smith was a one-hit wonder for Cincinnati, and this offseason, the team will probably take a different approach at tight end.
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