Nov 17, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; A Cincinnati Bengals Riddell Speedflex helmet on the field at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Bengals Met With Intriguing SEC Tight End After Pro Day

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Mar 29, 2026 9:38 AM ET

The Cincinnati Bengals entered the offseason with Trey Hendrickson headlining most of the big news coming out of Cincinnati. But Hendrickson left town to sign with the Baltimore Ravens, ending the dramatic saga that lasted for far too long.

As a result, the Bengals targeted a lot of defense in the early stages of free agency, adding players like Jonathan Allen, Bryan Cook, and Boye Mafe to the roster after losing a slew of talent like Hendrickson to other teams.

But the Bengals should still be targeting some offense, especially down the board of the NFL draft this offseason.

Bengals Could Still Look For Offense

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The Bengals need to add some talent to the offense despite having a loaded trio of Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase, and Joe Burrow.

They could use another running back. They could use some depth along the offensive line.

More importantly, the Bengals should be targeting a slot wide receiver and an inline tight end to help bolster the future of the team. They shouldn't be chasing offensive talent over defensive talent, but if the right players fall into their lap, they can't afford to miss out.

Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports recently reported that the Bengals opted to meet with Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher after his pro day this spring.

Bengals Met With Tight End Nate Boerkircher

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"Tight end Nate Boerkircher, who jumped onto the scouting radar during the season after being a non-entity last summer, timed the 40 in the 4.7s after limited testing at the combine due to a calf injury," Pauline wrote. "He then caught the ball well in drills. Boerkircher had dinner with the Dallas Cowboys the night before pro day and met with the Bengals after the workout."

Boerkircher is projected to go in the fifth or sixth round of the NFL draft, which is late enough for it to make sense for the Bengals to use a pick on him. They have a lot of late round draft capital this offseason.

Boerkircher is a very solid inline tight end with the ability to block and move well in space. His 40-yard dash time is impressive, which could make him a weapon on Cincinnati's offense, especially considering the Bengals lost Noah Fant to the New Orleans Saints this offseason.