The Bengals have signed TE Noah Fant to a 1 year/$2.75M deal. Additionally, he can earn up to $1.5M in incentives, according to Field Yates.
In a corresponding move, the team has waived TE Kole Taylor.
Fant was originally a 1st round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2019. After his third season, he ended up being a big part of the trade that saw Seattle send Russell Wilson to the Broncos.
The veteran TE has 3,305 receiving yards and 15 TD’s in 6 seasons in the NFL. Last season in Seattle, he was able to contribute 500 yards and 1 TD on 48 receptions.
For the Bengals, this means another big name player added to the skill positions. Along with WR’s Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at WR, he joins Mike Gesicki at the TE position.
Between the two positions, there will be a lot of mouths to feed in the passing game. While the two wideouts will remain the focal point, the team now has an additional target that they can turn to if injuries occur. As well, we could see more 2 TE sets to add another flavour to the offence. Fant’s ability to make plays in space will surely be used in some capacity.
To make room, the Bengals waived TE Kole Taylor.
Taylor is a rookie undrafted free agent. I talked about him in my UDFA article. He brought some skills as a pass catcher, but athletic concerns might limit the impact that he will be able to have at the NFL level. Taylor could have latched onto the practice squad had he gotten an opportunity, but with another body being brought in at the position, there was too much of a logjam and the Bengals decided to let him go.
Thumbnail Image Via: Jeffrey Beall (CC)