NFL star Joe Burrow is excited by the arrival of Irv Smith Jr.
After the departure of Hayden Hurst to the Carolina Panthers, the Cincinnati Bengals had a vacancy to fill at the tight end position. Therefore they opted to sign 24-year-old on a one-year, $1.75 million deal and he is looking to rebound after suffering a series of injuries. He has been limited to just 37 appearances, 15 of them from the start, over the course of his first four seasons in the league.
Despite the former Minnesota Vikings second-round pick’s injury history, Burrow, who is currently negotiating a new deal with the Bengals, has been impressed with what he has seen from his new teammate so far. “Irv, first of all, he’s upstairs all day every day learning the offense, watching tape with [tight ends coach] James [Casey]. So that’s exciting to hear,” Burrow said in a press conference earlier this week.
"And he’s looking smooth — big, strong, athletic, smooth hands. So we’re excited to have that guy.”
The Begals’ wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has history dating back to high school with Smith Jr after the pair shared the same trainer. Pleased with what he has seen so far, he told the Jungle Roar Podcast : “We go way back. So it was pretty cool seeing Irv again, seeing him out on the field. It feels good to see another person from New Orleans.
“I know exactly what he’s capable of. We played against each other in high school and in college, so we’ve been following each other the whole journey, but I feel like he is good with the ball in his hands and he can make a play.
"He can definitely make a guy miss. He’s not the average speed tight end. He’s a smart player, too. And all that plays a part in his game.”
Smith Jr played just eight games in 2022 due to an ankle injury and had 25 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He has yet to surpass the 370-yard mark in any season in his career, but in a high-powered Bengals offense, head coach Zac Taylor is optimistic that he can fill the pass-catching role that Hurst previously occupied.
"Yeah, we think he can come in and play that role for us," Taylor said last month. "There's always competition in that room, but that's the vision that we have for Irv to come in there and fill that role that Hayden had for us."
He added: "I feel really good about adding Irv. He's a good weapon for us based on what he's done so far. We liked him coming out of the draft and the years he spent in Minnesota, I think he fits what we're looking for.”
