Irv Smith Jr. and Cincinnati Bengals agree to one-year deal
After a short four-year tenure with the Minnesota Vikings, the Cincinnati Bengals have scooped up Irv Smith Jr. on a one-year deal, as first reported by Peter Schrager.
The Bengals have given the young shifty tight end a fresh start. Smith will join a high-powered offense on a one-year deal after the Bengals let Hayden Hurst walk in free agency. Hurst joined the Panthers alongside Smith’s former teammate Adam Thielen.
Smith has been dwindled with injuries throughout his entire career, including a knee meniscus tear on Aug. 27, 2021. They would rule Smith out for the entirety of the 2021-22 season after the injury in the preseason finale.
Smith’s time with the Vikings has been underwhelming. In three seasons, Smith has only 91 catches for 858 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
The Vikings drafted Smith in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft with the 50th overall pick. Smith played two seasons at Alabama in 2017 and 2018 before entering in the NFL draft after a productive junior season. Smith broke out his junior year after only seeing 14 catches his sophomore season. He would rise to 44 catches for 710 yards and seven scores.
Irv Smith Jr. will join a stacked receiving core in Cincinnati, including Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Aside from the receivers, Smith will be catching balls from former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Joe Burrow. Smith brings a ton of upside as a pass catcher in Cincinnati, as his injury concern halted his ceiling. He showed potential to be a star tight end in Minnesota, but with a fresh start, Smith can be a dangerous new target for the Bengals next season.
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