The Cincinnati Bengals needed to address the tight end position after the departure of Hayden Hurst. They didn't wait until next month's NFL draft to do so as they signed former second-round pick Irv Smith Jr. late Monday night to a one-year deal.

Smith is in a position to have a big role in the Bengals' offense next season even if they take a tight end at some point in the draft which is expected with himself and Devin Asiasi as the only other options currently (Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox are free agents).

Smith turned down other offers to sign with the Bengals for a very specific reason. He wanted a chance to win with quarterback Joe Burrow as well as wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. 

A good sign for how far the Bengals have come… Irv Smith, Jr. had multiple offers and chose to play for Cincinnati over the rest because of Burrow, Chase, Higgins, and an opportunity to win.

— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) March 28, 2023

And why wouldn't he?

After Burrow suffered a devastating knee injury during his rookie campaign (tore his ACL and MCL), he's done nothing but carve up opposing defenses. He's averaged over 4,500 and 35 touchdowns over the last two seasons and currently leads the NFL in all-time completion percentage (68.2). 

Then there's Burrow's reputation for winning big games. Before last season's AFC title game, Burrow had won three consecutive starts against Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs who is widely considered to be the best quarterback in the league. Also, he defeated another top-five quarterback during the 2022 postseason, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills. 

Smith's desire to play with Chase and Higgins makes sense also. The former is regarded as a top-five player at his position, and the latter would be a No. 1 option on a lot of other teams. The better Chase and Higgins are as outside threats will open up the middle of the field which is where tight ends mainly thrive. 

Smith showed tons of potential as a rookie in 2019 when he appeared in all 16 games for the Minnesota Vikings and caught 36 of his 47 targets for 311 yards and two touchdowns. He followed it up with 30 receptions for 365 yards and five scores a year later, but then his injury woes started.

Smith had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in September 2021 which forced him to miss the entire season. In 2022, Smith suffered an ankle injury and only played in eight games. He finished with 25 receptions for 182 yards and two touchdowns. 

So, although the Bengals thought enough of Smith to bring him on board, he was only signed to a one-year prove-it deal due to his injury history. This makes the 2023 season the biggest of Smith's career.