Joe Reedy cites a league source: NE TE Chris Baker, a solid player by all accounts in the blocking and intermediary passing game, although not a freak athlete like Benjamin Watson, will be visiting Cincinnati. Could be a great pick up - I'm just excited to hear the front office is looking at tight ends officially. I'm pretty high on Baker, too.
SB Nation's scouting report says Baker excels in short zones, but contrary to my impression, has the athleticism and speed to get open deep. They call him a "decent blocker" who has "grown into his role," citing average athleticism as a weakness. They project his ceiling to be a "solid starter," something the Bengals sorely need at Tight End. Baker is a 9th year vet, age 30, who has improved over the years as a short and intermediate route-runner.
He has good hands, according to one scouting report, and has developed as a decent pass blocker. The same scouting report says that despite his good size and agility, he sometimes has trouble in the run-blocking game. I think the Bengals could remedy that - he just has to find a linebacker and push him a little bit with our beastly run-blocking group, especially with the unbalanced looks Brat fell in love with.
Other teams rumored to be interested are Seattle, who will be talking with Ben Watson on Monday, and Miami. How do you guys feel about Baker? He'd fill a need - but would you be satisfied? When he was released yesterday, I thought he'd be a good target.