The Cincinnati Bengals look like a team that could use one or two minor moves at the NFL trade deadline this week.
One of those could be at the tight end position, where the team hasn’t seemed to recover from the loss of Hayden Hurst in free agency last summer.
The position has been mostly absent from the stat charts at the worst possible time while Joe Burrow battled through calf injury, with new arrival Irv Smith Jr. himself missing time already due to injury.
Granted, some would argue tight end just isn’t that utilized in the current offense anyway, but perhaps that changes with an acquisition, right?
Running back is the other area, especially after Chase Brown went to injured reserve, so we outlined nine running back targets at the trade deadline, too.
But this is about tight ends, so here are some possible targets.
Colts TE Mo Alie-Cox
This one was actually suggested by an outsider expert last week and makes a ton of sense. Alie-Cox has just six drops over 134 targets to date, yet has fallen out of favor under a new regime. The $5.92 million cap hit in 2024 isn’t guaranteed, so if it doesn’t work, no long-term concerns. But he’s a good blocker and has big upside as a receiver.
Patriots TE Hunter Henry
It’s not going all that great for Henry on the 2-5 Patriots. He’s caught just 20 passes for 210 yards and two scores so far, pacing for another so-so season. He’s a huge 6’5″ target who would flourish if swapping out Mac Jones for Joe Burrowt though and is still just 28 years old and on the final year of his contract.
Patriots TE Mike Gesicki
It’s not going much better for Gesicki who, also 28 years old, has just 17 catches over seven games in his first year with the team. He’s a 6’6″ target who scored five times on 32 catches the season prior and he’s also on the final year of a deal.
Raiders TE Austin Hooper
Hooper has caught 10 passes over seven games for the could-be-selling Raiders, who prefer the rookie Michael Mayer. He’s on a cheap one-year veteran contract and still 28 years old.
Panthers TE Hayden Hurst
The reunion might just make a lot of sense. The winless Panthers have to be sellers and it just hasn’t worked out with Hurst, who has just 14 catches and others around the team have written about how he might be available. While Hurst signed a pretty big deal in free agency, the cash hit wouldn’t be much this year for the Bengals and they can worry about 2024 later. We know how Hurst functioned in the offense and what he would bring right away.
Final thougts
The status of the tight end spot around the league isn’t all that hot. That’s part of what makes a reunion with Hurst more appealing than it probably should be. Typically when teams trade for guys, there’s a transition period while the new arrival gets used to the program, offense, etc. That wouldn’t happen with Hurst. For the most part, he’d be an instant impact. Maybe the Bengals decide to just ride it out with Irv Smith, but otherwise leaning on practice squad callup Tanner Hudson in a Super Bowl window is a risky play, especially if the asking price on Hurst isn’t all that much.
