In March, after spending the previous season with the Patriots, tight end Mike Gesicki signed a one-year deal with the Bengals. Cincinnati had a significant vacancy at the position, as they did not truly replace former tight end Hayden Hurst after he joined the Panthers as a free agent in 2022. Despite playing in all 34 regular-season games over the past two years, Gesicki’s numbers could be on the rise in 2024.
In his Tuesday press conference, quarterback Joe Burrow spoke highly of Gesicki, stating that he is “an explosive guy” and has a “big catch radius.” Burrow added that Gesicki has been everything he can ask for on and off the field.
The Bengals have several other options at tight end on their roster, including Tanner Hudson, Drew Sample, Erick Allison, and Tanner McLachlan. However, it seems that Cincinnati will again rely on Hudson and Sample as their main options for the position.
Burrow stated that he has invested a lot of reps with both Drew and Mike Gesicki, and plans to continue building dialogue with them in order to earn their trust. He hopes that this translates to on-field success for both players in 2024.
In 17 games last season with New England, Gesicki caught 29 passes for 244 yards with two touchdowns. In comparison to his time with Miami in 2021 when he caught 73 passes for 780 yards with two TDs in all 17 games played.