DAYTON, Ohio — I heard the pleads. I heard a lot of Bengals fans clamoring for the front office to make a move for a tight end at the trade deadline. I heard those fans clamor for Irv Smith Jr. to be cut, for Tanner Hudson to be elevated to the active roster. Only one of those hopes came into reality. That’s all that needed to happen.
What Irv Smith Jr. did on Sunday night was just part of a night that proves the Bengals front office is making the right decisions when it comes to personnel. They signed Smith, the fifth-year tight end, to a free agent deal in the offseason, after losing Hayden Hurst to free agency in the offseason.
Smith’s struggles and liability status culminated in a fumble inside the five-yard line at San Francisco in week eight, cementing the belief among many Bengals fans that he served no place on the team and a trade for a tight end needed to happen.
But as we’ve seen from this front office for years, they are loyal to those on the team and those who will be drafted to be on the team. That’s why they remained bullish on Smith. That bullishness paid off in a big way on Sunday night, with Smith hauling in three passes for 26 yards and his first touchdown as a Bengal. That performance shows the Bengals front office was right in not trading for a tight end. Irv Smith Jr. confirmed the front office was right to not, to remain bullish on what they have.
One of the curious moves this front office made this offseason was re-signing linebacker Germaine Pratt. I thought for sure he was gone. I thought Vonn Bell would be priority number one when it came to Bengals free agents and who among them was going to be resigned, especially on defense.
But again… the Bengals were right to resign Pratt. He has a knack for the big plays, going all the way back to the fumble recovery against Minnesota in 2021. It was his interception that ended the Bengals 31-year drought of no playoff wins. It was his forced fumble on Travis Kelce that helped the Bengals take the lead and hang on to beat the Chiefs in week 13 last season. It was his self-tip interception that helped stymie Brock Purdy and the 49ers.
On Sunday, it was his forced fumble on Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid early in the fourth quarter about sealed the game for the Bengals. They kept the Bills off the scoreboard as they were driving into the red zone to cut into the lead, and the Bengals cashed in his forced fumble into a field goal that gave them a safe 24-10 lead.
The Bengals invested in Pratt and fellow linebacker Logan Wilson, and they put their faith into a young and new-look secondary. My goodness has this group been good. Second-year cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt has three interceptions in his last four games, and he has shown to be a lockdown corner against really good wide receivers. Dax Hill has two interceptions this season. D.J. Turner has started the last four games and has played well.
Joe Mixon. The Bengals restructured his contract in the offseason, and he has shown he still has something left in him. He has a touchdown in each of the last two games.
Drew Sample. Sometimes I forget he’s still on the roster. He was huge on Sunday for this offense with three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown.
Bengals fans will question roster personnel when they’re losing, .500 or not in the thick of the playoff race. But as we have seen over the last three years, the front office’s bullishness on their players and coaches does pay off.
Now it does help to have a franchise quarterback to help that bullishness come into fruition. Joe Burrow was outstanding on Sunday, and he’s enjoying one of the best stretches of his career during the Bengals four-game winning streak.
The Bengals entered the season with Super Bowl expectations. They have the roster to get there. The front office knows that, and so many players they had to make decisions on in the offseason and the trade deadline have proven to be good decisions. It was those players who stepped up on Sunday in prime time against another Super Bowl contender. And when you already have a franchise quarterback that can take this team to the NFL’s biggest stage, this team can go a long way, once again, this year.
Let me be Frank and Cut to the Chase 