Bengals will have first dibs on signing another former first-round pick this week and upgrade an entire position group
The Cincinnati Bengals have already added four new players to their roster this week including former first-round pick Taven Bryan, and they may not be done.As first reported by Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz, Cincinnati is hosting free agent tight end Noah Fant on a visit Thursday, which is the second day of Bengals training camp.The […]
The Cincinnati Bengals have already added four new players to their roster this week including former first-round pick Taven Bryan, and they may not be done.
As first reported by Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz, Cincinnati is hosting free agent tight end Noah Fant on a visit Thursday, which is the second day of Bengals training camp.
The timing of the visit matters here, because Cincinnati is not the only team after him.
Bengals will be first team on Noah Fant's schedule of visits
Fant was released by the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday after he spent three years with the club. Per Schultz, the 27-year old has "drawn interest" from other teams and may line up future visits after his trip to the Queen City.
Fant was originally drafted 20th overall in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He played three years in Denver, catching 170 receptions for 1,905 yards and 10 touchdowns before being dealt to Seattle as a part of the Russell Wilson trade in the 2022 offseason.
Fant played out his rookie contract with the Seahawks and re-signed with the team in 2024 on a two-year, $21 million deal. He recorded 130 receptions for 1,400 yards and five touchdowns for Seattle, but was released with one year left on his deal.
While Seattle deemed Fant expendable after paying him handsomely last year, he does have a first-round pedigree and is still well shy of 30 years old. He also tested like an elite athlete and it shows when he has the ball in his hands.
All of the above makes him an attractive option this late in the offseason, and the Bengals make sense as a potential suitor.
Why Cincinnati is interested in signing Noah Fant
There aren't many tight end rooms with a similar composition to the one in Paycor Stadium. The starters are Drew Sample and Mike Gesicki, and they couldn't be more opposite of each other. Sample is an inline blocker who doesn't pose much of a threat in the pass game while Gesicki is essentially a big slot receiver who never puts his hand in the turf to block.
Behind Sample and Gesicki are more one-dimensional players. Tanner Hudson and Tanner McLachlan fit the Gesicki mold, and Cam Grandy is essentially Sample's direct backup. There's also Kole Taylor to round out the group, but he's just an undrafted rookie who's unlikely to make the 53-man roster.
Fant would not only make the initial 53, he'd be one of, if not the best, player in the room. That opportunity doesn't always pop up in late July.
Money may play a factor here as well. Gesicki signed a three-year, $25.5 million deal in March, but again, he's really only a tight end by name. Fant has played and produced a lot more as a true inline player and while his blocking isn't necessarily his strength, aligning as a true "Y" can allow the Bengals to mix up formations and personnel groupings and utilize his athleticism in the pass game.
In short, Fant would give the offense an all-around starter at the position. They were supposed to have that in Erick All Jr. this year, but the fourth-round pick from last year's draft is expected to miss the entire season due to a torn ACL from last season that required two surgeries.
If Fant does stay in Cincy, consider him the club's answer to All's injury. He wouldn't be used in the exact same way, but they'd have more options with a starter who can line up in multiple spots.
If he leaves town, it's likely because the money isn't right and there are other teams who'd feature him more in their offense. The Bengals still have Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, and Gesicki at the end of the day.
Bengals 53-man Roster Projection: Training camp kicks off multiple starting battles in every corner of the team
Training camp brings needed competition for the Bengals.
