Bengals Starter Misses Sunday Practice With Injury

 A key member of the Bengals offense suffered an injury on Saturday and did not suit up for Sunday's midday practice just outside Paycor Stadium. Starting tight end Mike Gesicki tweaked his lower body in what appeared to be a hamstring injury on Saturday.

Cincinnati luckily beefed up the positional depth by signing free agent tight end Noah Fant to a one-year deal entering the weekend, but Gesicki is a key part of the offense. Zac Taylor should give an update on the tight end during his media address on Monday. 

Gesicki did not require a cart and walked under his own power following the injury on Saturday.

He just signed a three-year, $25.5 million agreement with the Bengals this offseason as one of Joe Burrow's new favorite targets.

“That picture on Twitter you see where the dude is pointing at himself on the couch, that was me literally on my couch,” Gesicki said about Joe Burrow endorsing him in the offseason. “I was sitting there with my wife and looked at her like'Mike G., I think he's talking about me.' 

“So when he said that, it was awesome just because it shows the chemistry that we were able to build on the field with the plays that we made and the chemistry off the field, it all translated to that,” Gesicki continued. “It was a really cool moment. We definitely got some good laughs out of it.”

Gesicki played 2024 on a one-year, $2.5 million deal and caught 65 passes (second-most ever by a Bengals tight end) for 665 yards and two scores.