The Cincinnati Bengals made a key addition earlier this offseason by signing tight end Irv Smith Jr to a one-year deal.
Smith, a New Orleans native who played college football at Alabama, was a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The former Crimson Tide standout spent the first four years of his career with the Minnesota Vikings.
Smith will fill the role vacated by Hayden Hurst, who signed with the Carolina Panthers after one year with the Bengals. Cincinnati’s new tight end is ready to hit the ground running with the Bengals. In fact, he already sent a strong message to the rest of the NFL.
Smith knows the Bengals have a lot of weapons in the passing game. And he also knows that opposing defenses won’t be able to cover all of Cincinnati’s offensive weapons.
“We have a lot of weapons on this team and they’re not going to be able to cover us all,” said Smith (via Bengals’ official Twitter account).
Who’s ready to see Irv in stripes?! pic.twitter.com/e8Rrve8a67
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) April 11, 2023
Smith isn’t wrong. When teams face the Bengals, they essentially have to pick their poison. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase obviously receives the most attention, but Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd also command plenty of respect. Throw Smith into the mix along with running back Joe Mixon (who is still on the roster for now) and it’s easy to see why the Bengals are such a frustrating team to face.
(And there’s also, of course, the magic that Joe Burrow provides.) Cincinnati will once again be one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl in 2023 as they attempt to win their third straight AFC North division title.
