How Cincinnati Bengals Could Address Tight End This Offseason

Cincinnati Bengals On SI

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00:00What do they do now that Eric all is going to miss the entire 2025 season?

00:05I'll be honest tight end is a huge need

00:08That's what it is. And there are gonna be a lot of people that say all right

00:11Just bring Mike a sickie back and that's fine. I like Mike a lot

00:15he's more of a receiver than he is a

00:17Do-it-all tight end and so then you have a guy in Mike a sickie who can be the receiver

00:21And then you have guys in Drew Sample cam granny that can be the blocker. It can work. We saw it work

00:27But you're still missing that piece that can do both and

00:31Looking at this tight end draft class

00:33I think that they're going to find someone that can do both much like Eric all and here's why I say that it isn't just

00:39Eric all injury it's because the Bengals do value tight end they have

00:46targeted tight ends in the past are really like tight ends in the past and

00:50they passed on them and I think that they would kick themselves a little bit and

00:54So some guys that they like that they didn't end up getting because they didn't fall to them

00:58And I'm not sure they would have taken Brock Bowers and and over a Mario Smith's anyway

01:02Because you're talking about a star right tackle versus start height end, but they really really loved Brock Bowers last year

01:07I know that for a fact. They really really loved Dalton Kincaid lat two years ago, and he didn't fall to them

01:13They really really like Sam Laporta two years ago. He did fall to them

01:17They really really like Tucker craft a couple of years ago. He did fall to them and they took DJ Turner

01:22So they took Myles Murphy and DJ Turner

01:24you had your shot there at Sam Laporta guy you really liked and Tucker craft a guy you really liked and so

01:30Maybe this is the year where they're like, okay

01:33last year

01:34We really liked Eric all because of the medicals

01:36He fell a little bit and we're able to get him in the fourth round

01:39We know we can't wait that long this year and people are going to probably be upset if they take a tight end

01:44With one of their first three picks. I think it's pretty likely at this point because you look at the free agency

01:50Class of tight ends and Mike is sick. He might be the top and Zach hurts Mike is sick. He Juwan Johnson

01:55It's it's not like there are a bunch of dudes. And so it's gonna be hard to retain Mike is sick

01:59He that's another point here is he's arguably the best tight end in the class. I think Zach hurts if he

02:05Stays in the league and he's obviously getting up there in his mid 30s. I think I want to stay in Washington

02:11Meanwhile, Mike is sick

02:12He hasn't gotten the paydays that Zach hurts has gotten

02:15Mike is sick. He's trying to get those paydays and this might be the perfect year to get that payday

02:20Joe, bro does that with all these guys and so that doesn't mean they won't sign one

02:23I know there are gonna be some that bring up Tanner McLaughlin

02:26I just think from talking to people that he's probably a bit away a ways away and it's not just talking to people

02:32It's looking at what the Bengals did or didn't do with Tanner McLaughlin. So overall I would say this

02:38The Bengals will

02:40Address tight end in the draft would be shocked if they did not draft the tight end in this year's draft given where they're at

02:45Given who they could sign or couldn't sign all of those things

02:49Buckle up because I do think that they're gonna be very in on a tight end. Maybe as early as round one

02:55It could be maybe as early as round one and we could talk about specific guys

02:58But certainly rounds one through three. I think it is in play there people are going to

03:03hate it, but prepare yourself because

03:07If they

03:08Looked back in what I said, man

03:10You know what?

03:11We could have done we could have used Tucker craft instead of DJ Turner and I like DJ Turner

03:15But that would have felt pretty good right Sam Laporte over Miles Murphy. No one would have questioned that now

03:20And so they've been pretty good at evaluating tight ends

03:23Like I know who they liked and who they didn't like like they they weren't in on certain guys

03:27I'm not gonna just air out like for example, they passed on Darnell, Washington

03:31Okay, well that that kind of makes sense. They had Tucker craft ahead of Darnell, Washington

03:35Which one would you rather have?

03:36Washington's a blocker Tucker craft could do it all and has been explosive for Green Bay and would have been a heck of an ad

03:41So they've done a good job of evaluating tight ends. They've worried about the positional value

03:46I think now that it's a need and it very much even if you sign Mike Kosicki is a need

03:52I think they go that route and draft a tight end early. Is that the right move? Is that the wrong move?

03:57Would you be mad at it? I wouldn't be mad at it

03:59But I'm also about players not positions when it comes to the draft if you draft the right player the position is certainly secondary

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