The Bengals were in the market for a tight end, and they’ve found one in Irv Smith Jr.
Smith signed with the Bengals on Monday night.
The 24-year-old Smith was a 2019 second-round pick of the Vikings out of Alabama and has played his entire four-year career with the Vikings. He showed some promise in his first two seasons but has been plagued by injuries the last two seasons, missing all of 2021 with a knee injury and half of 2022 with an ankle injury.
Last year he played eight games and caught 25 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith is the son of Irv Smith Sr., a tight end who was a first-round pick of the Saints in 1993 and played seven NFL seasons.
The Bengals had been looking for a tight end since last year’s starter, Hayden Hurst, left for Carolina in free agency.