Cincinnati Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst already had one revenge game marked on his calendar this year against the Baltimore Ravens.
Now Hurst confronts another — a game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Those Falcons acquired Hurst after his two seasons in Baltimore and he spent as many years in Atlanta while receiving similar, small usage. Now he says Cincinnati has finally given him the chance to spread his wings as a weapon.
“I know what I’m capable of doing,” Hurst said, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby. “I just didn’t think I got to show everything in Atlanta. That’s why it’s kind of been fun coming here and creating chemistry with Joe [Burrow] and all these guys. Having the coaches believe in me, it’s been cool.”
Hurst was lost in a run-first attack in Baltimore and then went underused in Atlanta as the Falcons used a first-round pick at the spot.
Over six games in Cincinnati, his 31 targets are already more work than he saw over two of his prior four seasons. He saw 39 targets in 2019 and 88 in 2020 and could be in line for a career-high this season.
Considering Hurst scored a touchdown in his revenge bid against the Ravens, the Falcons might need to keep a close eye on their former tight end.
