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The Cincinnati Bengals watched numerous contributors walk in the 2023 NFL free-agency period.
Fan favorites like Hayden Hurst and Jessie Bates III, along with fellow starting safety Vonn Bell, left for more desirable contracts, the first and last heading to Carolina with Bates III taking his talents to Atlanta.
That created a void with the Bengals at the tight end position.
Hurst and even the third-string tight end Mitchell Wilcox both were not retained. What Duke Tobin and company did was sign Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. to a one-year deal which is worth $1.75 million with a chance of hitting $2 million.
Field Yates, of NFL Network, tweeted out the details and noted the value for the Bengals.
New Bengals TE Irv Smith Jr.'s 1-year deal is for a base value $1.75M, with the chance to make a maximum of $2M, per source.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 31, 2023
Nice value for Cincinnati and a really good spot for Smith to play a useful role in a high-octane passing offense.
Then at cornerback, the Bengals, for now, opted not to re-sign starter Eli Apple or key backup Tre Flowers.
Instead, they went out and signed one of the better corners left on the open market in Sidney Jones.
As it turns out, the Bengals also got great value with his deal. KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson reports that the Bengals signed him to a similar deal that pays him just over $1 million.
#Bengals corner Sidney Jones IV one-year, $1.08 million deal has injury waiver (back), first-game active-inactive $50,000 roster bonus
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 31, 2023
Smith Jr. ended last season with 182 yards and two touchdowns. He played in just eight games, so availability could be an issue. In his rookie season, Smith Jr. did finish with snaps in all 16 games and had 311 receiving yards. He was the Vikings’ second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, coming out of Alabama.
That said, I wouldn’t expect a ton of production from Smith Jr. He will certainly be a nice weapon, but even Hurst, who felt frequently involved, only ended last season with 414 receiving yards and 52 receptions.
Smith Jr. stands 6-foot-2 and has the ability to make explosive plays, which will undoubtedly suit him well alongside Joe Burrow.
Smith Jr.’s best season, of the three in Minnesota, concluded with 365 yards on just 30 receptions. He can make big plays, and that’s going to be huge for a team that will undoubtedly have so much of the defense’s attention on the wide receivers.
As for Jones, he won’t be a starter as long as Chidobe Awuzie, Cam Taylor-Britt, and Mike Hilton are healthy, but he could become a valuable backup in a pass-happy NFL in which there is no such thing as too many cornerbacks.
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