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Cincinnati Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham will be an unrestricted free agent at 4 p.m. (ET) on March 10, 2015 when his five-year rookie contract finally expires. After being selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft, Gresham has compiled 280 receptions, 2,722 yards receiving and 24 touchdowns during his half-decade career in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Enquirer beat writer Paul Dehner Jr. doesn't expect Gresham to return saying that "there are many coaches within the building who want zero to do with Gresham at this point." Dehner adds:
Not all, but some. A mantra of this organization has for a long time been about acquiring players you can trust. I don't know this team can trust Gresham anymore. His low tolerance for pain and a career peppered with games missed when he probably could have played through the pain while others, in fact, did play through their pain doesn't help. His inconsistency with fumbles, penalties, etc., only adds to the lack of trust.
We pointed out on Monday that, while his penalties ranked fourth on the team, he only committed five infractions in 2014... a career-low. His propensity to fumble is still an issue, but comes as result of extra effort to fight for yards. On the other hand, we also remind you about the Alex Marvez report during Week 15 when the Bengals played the Cleveland Browns and Jermaine Gresham sat out with a toe injury that even surprised the Bengals.
A source told FOX Sports that the Bengals were expecting Gresham to play in Sunday's 30-0 victory over Cleveland. That sentiment was reinforced Sunday when Gresham "looked great running around" during a pre-game workout, the source said. Gresham, though, was declared inactive to miss his first game of the season.
The surprise carried over to radio voice Dave Lapham, who made on-air comments that upset Gresham. However, this little tiff shouldn't carry much weight. Unless there's the whole "immaturity" or "instability" angle that someone wants to present. Regardless, Gresham isn't viewed as a player that will play through the pain and we're seeing less trust in him as someone who will go above and beyond for the team.
Gresham is such an enigma.