Bengals Urged To Sign Former First-Round TE In Free Agency

The Cincinnati Bengals not only have a need at tight end, but they don’t even actually have one under contract at the moment.

Tight end was a hole for the Bengals this past season, and it remains an issue going into 2024, but Cincinnati can fix that issue in free agency.

Jared Dubin of CBS Sports has matched the Bengals with Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant, who will be one of the top players available at his position this offseason.

Fant may be had on the cheap, too, as he is coming off a rather lackluster 2023 campaign in which he logged just 32 catches for 414 yards with no touchdowns. Those numbers were all career lows.

Perhaps with Joe Burrow throwing him the football, Fant’s numbers will spike.

The 26-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Iowa, was originally selected by the Denver Broncos with the 20th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.

He played in every game during his rookie campaign and was solid, catching 40 passes for 562 yards and three scores. He showed some improvement in his sophomore season, hauling in 62 receptions for 673 yards while reaching the end zone three times, but in 2021, Fant’s production stagnated, as he snared 68 balls for 670 yards and four touchdowns.

That ensuing offseason, Fant was traded to the Seahawks, and in his debut campaign in Seattle, he registered 50 grabs for 486 yards and four scores.

Fant has actually been somewhat of a disappointment since entering the league, but he is a reliable tight end who may end up thriving in Cincinnati’s offense.

We’ll see if the tight end-hungry Bengals make a play for Fant in the coming weeks.