The Cincinnati Bengals don’t have many new starters who joined the team this offseason, but tight end Irv Smith Jr. is one notable big exception.
Smith is the team’s latest short-term investment at the tight end position — at least for now, unless some of this mid-June hype leads to him sticking around for much longer.
Said hype centers on how impressed teammates and coaches are with how Smith moves on the field and how quickly he has picked up the offense.
“He’s a really smart, savvy player. We don’t have a lot of new guys on offense, but he’s picked it up seamlessly as far as a lot of adjustments go. He’s done a great job picking that stuff up,” tight end Drew Sample said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “C.J. (Uzomah) and Hayden (Hurst) are great. For Irv, I think he may be the smoothest of those guys. Getting in and out of his breaks. He’s a very smooth route runner. He can get down the seam. Makes a lot of cuts like receivers. All great players, Irv just brings his different spin to it.”
And here’s head coach Zac Taylor: “And so I think just how quickly he has understood not just the scheme but the nuances in the scheme of playing tight end in this system and I’ve been really impressed with that.”
We’re in best shape of his life! territory in June, but it’s not hard to buy much of what was said here. Smith is a former second-round pick who has had problems staying healthy and/or not been featured heavily in a passing attack. But the talent has always been there and it sure doesn’t hurt that he’s linking back up with former LSU teammate Joe Burrow.
A quick adaptation now suggests Smith is at least positioned to be the latest success story at tight end for the Bengals. That means he’s got the chance to be the best of the last few years, too, given his natural skill set.
