Bengals waste very little time extending a player they would've had no trouble re-signing in free agency

Grandy was one of 14 college free agents signed by the Bengals following the 2024 NFL Draft. He played four total years of college football, with his last and most productive being at Illinois State in 2023. He hauled in 63 receptions for 612 yards and three touchdowns on his way to consensus first-team FCS All-American and first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors. 

Grandy didn't make the initial 53-man roster in August, but he stuck around on the practice squad for the first two months of the regular season. He was first elevated to the active roster for Week 10, only a few days after fellow rookie Erick All Jr. suffered a season-ending knee injury. 

Cincinnati only used one standard practice squad elevation on Grandy because the club signed him off the practice squad entirely following his NFL debut. He played in every remaining game to close out the season for a total of eight appearances, and soon found himself to be the third tight end on the depth chart.

The Bengals mostly relied on Grandy for his inline blocking in the run game. 39 of his 75 offensive snaps were as a run-blocker, and Pro Football Focus graded him out at 65.6. Only three rookie tight ends carried a higher grade from the regular season.

Grandy found his niche role due to an unfortunate set of circumstances with All, and the Bengals went ahead and rewarded him several weeks before they had to do so.

Since Grandy's original three-year UDFA contract was terminated when he was waived and brought back onto the practice squad, he finished the regular season on a one-year deal. He was scheduled to become an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) this offseason as his contract was set to expire at the start of the new league year on March 12.

The Bengals had the ability to give Grandy a one-year tender offer worth $960,000 due to his free agent classification. This extension could simply be just that and Grandy has accepted it, or it could be worth even more.

No matter the value of the deal, the Bengals opted to take care of Grandy nearly two months before his deal expired, which shows how much they value him.