Cincinnati Bengals Should Sign Former First Round Pick Before Training Camp

Should the Cincinnati Bengals add to their tight end room? That has been the question ever since news broke Sunday that the Seattle Seahawks made the decision to release starting tight end Noah Fant three years after acquiring him in the Russell Wilson trade with the Denver Broncos.

The Bengals made the wise decision to re-sign starting tight end Mike Gesicki this offseason to a three-year contract, that does not mean though that the team should be done adding to that unit of the offense.

Gesicki is a valuable asset that will be the starter going into this year and he earned it after showing solid chemistry with Joe Burrow throughout last season. However, when you dive into the rest of the room at tight end the depth is lacking.

Drew Sample can lineup in multiple different packages as a blocker, but he offers little in the receiving game.

Erick All Jr. was becoming a prominent figure within the Bengals offense last year before suffering a torn ACL last November. He has experienced complications during the offseason that will keep him out all of 2025. With Tanner Hudson and Cam Grandy being role-players at best at this point in their careers and Tanner McLachlan seemingly failing to make any impact, it is clear that the Bengals should still bring competition in at the position.

Fant offers little as a blocker but brings a skill set that is similar to that of Gesicki's with his ability to play as an in-line tight end and has finished every season his career with at least 400 receiving yards, including 1,400 total yards over the last three seasons in Seattle.

We have seen what Burrow can do with that kind of talent just last season with Gesicki. Bringing in Fant would give the Bengals a chance to not only make opposing defenses have to account for the tight end when Gesicki is off the field on offense alongside star receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but it would also create an optimal rotation at the position that would allow players like Gesicki to remain fresh throughout the entire season.

If the Bengals were to sign the vegteran, Fant would likely battle for the tight end three spot on the roster with Tanner Hudson. From a receiving perspective, Fant is far and away the more talented option between the two.

If the Bengals make a move for Fant, it would give them another proven option and bolster one of the weaker position groups on the team.