Approval poll: Bengals re-sign C.J. Uzomah to three-year deal

This time of year can be both frustrating and refreshing for fans of the Cincinnati Bengals. On one hand, people have their player wish lists, see inactivity and get frustrated. On the other, a lot of those players sign lucrative deals only to never see the entire contract through.

The Bengals weren’t totally silent on Monday though, as the “legal tampering” phase of free agency kicked off the whole frenzy. As expected, most of their work was done on internal guys, and with four tight ends set to hit the market, we knew the position would be a high priority.

As it turns out, C.J. Uzomah was one of the biggest Bengals benefactors on Monday, inking a three-year, $18 million deal. While we’re awaiting the full details on the structure of the deal, the presumed $6 million cap hit for 2019 will be in the top-20 for the position going forward.

Since joining the Bengals in the fifth round of 2015, Uzomah has largely been the third tight end in the pecking order. But, with both Tyler Kroft and Tyler Eifert landing on injured reserve last year, Uzomah stepped up in a big way. He finished with 43 catches for 439 yards and three touchdowns — all career-highs.

The leap in production not only shows running with an opportunity, but the fact that Uzomah has shown solid year-to-year growth after being viewed as a project four years ago. He also proved to be durable last year at a position group that has lacked the trait.

Still, there are other repercussions to this signing. Does this deal mean that Eifert is leaving along with Kroft, who is signing with the Bills? If so, can Uzomah be counted on as a No. 1 tight end in this offense?

Average salaries are increasing even more this year with the $11 million increase of the salary cap and Uzomah’s big pay raise is proof. What do you think about the deal?