For the second straight offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals let their starting tight end walk in free agency. After C.J. Uzomah left for a New York Jets deal in 2022, Hayden Hurst joined the Carolina Panthers earlier this week.
Cincinnati’s search for a new first-string tight end led to a visit with former Darren Waller backup Foster Moreau. The four-year veteran met with Bengals brass, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets . Moreau, 25, has played regularly for the Las Vegas Raiders due to Waller’s injuries over the past two seasons.
The Raiders trading Waller to the New York Giants (for a third-round pick) this week leaves them in need at the position. The Raiders having already extended Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow, to go along with Josh Jacobs‘ franchise tag and Jakobi Meyers‘ $11M-per-year free agency agreement, likely will put them on the hunt for a low-cost veteran to potentially pair with a draft pick.
The Raiders have only Jesper Horsted and 2022 UDFA Cole Fotheringham on the roster at tight end. Moreau led Raiders tight ends with 33 receptions for 420 yards last season, when Waller’s lingering hamstring injury sidelined him for eight games. Moreau caught 30 passes for 373 yards in 2021, a season in which Waller missed six games.
The Bengals non-tendered Mitchell Wilcox as a restricted free agent last week, and 2019 second-round pick Drew Sample is also a free agent. Hurst, who signed a one-year deal with the team in 2022, joined the Panthers on a three-year deal worth $21.75M ($13M fully guaranteed) on Wednesday. As a result, the Bengals will likely add multiple tight ends to their equation this offseason.
A 2019 fourth-round pick out of LSU, Moreau joins Dalton Schultz and a few other notable names at the tight end spot in free agency. Following the Bears’ Thursday addition of ex-Packer Robert Tonyan, Friday brought more movement on the tight end market. The Patriots added Mike Gesicki, while the Browns signed Jordan Akins. The Chargers also brought back Donald Parham. These moves thinned the market, but Austin Hooper, Cameron Brate, Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr. join Schultz in free agency.
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