The Cincinnati Bengals enter the offseason with no notable tight ends under contract, making the position one of a handful that could see big overhauls.
Hayden Hurst, Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox are the notables slated for free agency as of this writing. Luckily for the Bengals, if they want to use an early draft pick on the position, they’ve stumbled into a heck of a year to do it.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic’s top 100 prospects in 2023 just dropped and is stellar as usual. Notably, it loops in four tight ends in the top 30 and seven in the top 100:
- 24. Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
- 27. Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State
- 29. Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
- 30. Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
- 49. Tucker Kraft, TE, South Dakota State
- 61. Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa
- 100. Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Michigan
Mayer has already been mocked to the Bengals often. So has Washington. Kincaid just came up in a mock draft from Todd McShay.
Point is, the Bengals have serious options in the top 50 and at least through the second round if they want to add to the spot. That might be a strategy they employ, getting a rookie contract at the position instead of paying a Hurst, instead using the money to retain other free agents or bring on outsiders at places such as the offensive line.
It’s can’t go wrong time for the Bengals right now, with the 2023 draft class helping with that idea thanks to the depth at tight end this year.
