CINCINNATI — One of many latest Cincinnati Bengals sat in entrance of a comparatively empty locker, grinned and mirrored on the chance forward because the crew began its offseason program.
Tight finish Irv Smith Jr. had a few clothes objects, a water bottle and a commemorative recreation ball in his new Cincinnati digs as he talked concerning the pleasure of becoming a member of the defending AFC North champs.
“I simply wish to get out right here and play,” Smith stated. “I want it was gameday in the present day.”
When he signed a one-year contract with the crew earlier in April, Smith grew to become the newest participant to doubtlessly fill a key void because the Bengals’ beginning tight finish on one of many NFL’s most original offenses. It additionally marked the second straight yr the crew opted for a short-term deal for somebody who might be a starter, with Smith changing Hayden Hurst, an outgoing free agent.
This yr’s draft presents a few intriguing choices for when the Bengals are on the clock. Utah’s Dalton Kincaid and Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer, who grew up within the Cincinnati space, are some tight ends who might be within the combine.
However Cincinnati’s transaction historical past and the way they use the place increase questions concerning the sensibility of taking a decent finish with that spot, particularly with Smith at the moment penciled in because the starter.
“We expect he can are available in and play that function for us,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor stated Monday. “There may be all the time competitors in that room. However that is the imaginative and prescient that we now have for Irv is to return in and match that function Hayden had for us.”
Earlier than signing with the Bengals, Smith spent 4 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He began in certainly one of his eight appearances in 2022 and completed the yr on injured reserve. His backstory has parallels to the participant he is changing.
Hurst, a 2018 first-round choose, got here to the Bengals on a one-year contract after earlier stints with the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons did not pan out. In his introductory information convention in 2022, Hurst made it very clear that he needed to show he might be a contributor for an NFL crew.
After one season with the Bengals, Hurst netted a three-year contract with the Carolina Panthers price almost $22 million, together with $13 million in assured cash.
It was the second consecutive stable payday for a Cincinnati tight finish. After the 2021 season, C.J. Uzomah signed a three-year deal with the New York Jets price $24 million. That deal assured $15 million. To place these contracts into the correct context, Hurst earned a mere $3.5 million in his time in Cincinnati.
The long-term outlook for Cincinnati’s tight finish spot remains to be unsure. Drew Sample, a 2019 second-round choose, re-signed on a one-year deal. Like Smith, Pattern stated the opportunity of the crew drafting a younger participant did not come up throughout negotiations.
“They needed me again. I needed to be again right here,” stated Pattern, who’s coming off a proper knee damage that ended his 2022 season on Week 2. “Clearly, the damage factor was one thing they needed to work by. However for me, understanding the offense, understanding what we have been doing as a crew, all that, it was what we needed.”
Even when Kincaid or Mayer can be found for the Bengals with the twenty eighth choose, Cincinnati might be higher suited including a participant who may have a larger influence on the crew’s passing recreation, which is the spine of the offense. Uzomah and Hurst ranked fourth on the crew in targets per recreation within the 2021 and 2022 seasons, respectively.
Smith, who will make $1.75 million in 2023, in line with Roster Administration System, joins a high-powered offense that options broad receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. The trio accounted for 55% of the crew’s whole targets final season.
Smith stated the Bengals introduced him into city for a motive, and he is trying ahead to enjoying with quarterback Joe Burrow, who’s coming off his finest professional season.
“It undoubtedly factored into my determination,” Smith stated. “Joe, he is arguably the perfect, if not among the best quarterbacks within the NFL. And he is younger as nicely. He has plenty of expertise.”
Smith, Pattern and Devin Asiasi are the tight ends Burrow could have at his disposal for subsequent season. The Bengals will likely be trying to enhance a roster that misplaced within the AFC Championship Sport.
If the Bengals determine to draft a decent finish, Pattern stated it might be a welcome addition.
“That’d be nice,” Pattern stated. “And if not, we really feel like we now have the arrogance to be a extremely nice room with what we now have and what we are able to do on this offense.”