Bengals' under the radar weapon developing great chemistry with Joe Burrow

The Cincinnati Bengals have consistently had a good group of weapons to put around quarterback Joe Burrow.

And while Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have been the focal two names and targets when you think of Bengals’ weapons, the likes of Hayden Hurts, C.J. Uzomah, and Tyler Boyd have also been reliable pass-catchers that have caught passes from Burrow and played pivotal roles in the Bengals’ recent success. Now, it looks like they’re adding another name to that list.

The Bengals signed veteran tight end Mike Gesicki this offseason. The Penn State product was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 2018, and had a great stretch of seasons in Miami. In 2021, he caught 73 passes for 780 yards. When Mike McDaniel became the head coach, though, Gesicki’s role shrunk dramatically, which led to him signing with the New England Patriots ahead of the 2023 season. Unfortunately, the Patriots had a lot of quarterback issues and offensive issues, which led to the former Nittany Lion only catching 29 passes.

Now in Cincinnati, Gesicki is hoping to get back to being the vertical threat at tight end that he once was, and it looks like he’s well on his way to becoming that. Head coach Zac Taylor highlighted Gesicki as someone who could be an impact player in 2024.

“He picked up on the offense really fast,” Taylor said. “And he has chemistry with Joe.”

Having Gesicki as a vertical threat to complement Chase and Higgins in the passing game gives the Bengals an additional element for defenses to worry about. The Bengals will conclude preseason play Thursday night when they host the Indianapolis Colts and will open their season two weeks from Sunday at home against the New England Patriots.