Not too long ago, we suggested that the Cincinnati Bengals need to take the tight end position much more seriously in order to improve next season.
One of the reasons for that idea was simply how well the position had performed for winning playoff teams over the first two rounds of the postseason.
Fast forward to now, that same logic very much still applies ahead of the AFC and NFC title games.
As Pro Football Network pointed out, all four teams taking part in championship weekend boast a top-10 tight end in terms of receiving yards at the position this year:
All 4 of the remaining teams feature a TE that ranks Top 7 in receiving yards at the position this season. 👀
The #Lions recently added Super Bowl champion Zach Ertz.
How important are TEs to a deep playoff run? 🤔 #NFL | #PFN365 pic.twitter.com/RQaHlFgqWc
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 25, 2024
Receiving metrics aren’t the only thing that matters, but it just goes to show that having a top-tier player at the position is a big deal for the NFL’s best right now.
That’s important for a Bengals team that likes to be up on league trends, if not ahead of the curve. And it’s especially important for a team that seems likely to lose Tyler Boyd to free agency and franchise tag Tee Higgins, keeping him for at least one more season.
Sure, finding a Travis Kelce or George Kittle isn’t easy. But spending bigger resources in an attempt to find one seems to be a good idea.
