The Cincinnati Bengals made the Irv Smith Jr. signing official Thursday morning with a post on the team’s official website saying they signed the tight end to a one-year deal.
“It’s a blessing to be a part of a great organization like this. I’m excited to win games and get to it,” Smith said in an Instagram story on the Bengals account.
Smith has said he chose the Bengals because he wanted to be with a team that had a chance to win a Super Bowl, and he said that he could be the missing piece that the Bengals need to make that happen.
However, this will also need to be a year where Smith proves that he can remain healthy, having not played a full season since his 2019 rookie campaign with the Vikings. After a high ankle sprain, he played in eight games last season after missing all of 2021 with a meniscus tear.
If he can stay on the field, the addition of Smith only puts more depth into an already high-power passing attack with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd all set to return in 2023.
