The Bengals are expected to sign veteran tight end Noah Fant, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Fant was released by the Seahawks on July 20 and quickly lined up a visit with the Bengals. Fant left Cincinnati without a deal and met with the Saints and the Dolphins, but quickly circled back to the opportunity to catch passes from Joe Burrow.
Fant will now join a Bengals tight end room led by Mike Gesicki and Drew Sample. The former first-round pick will likely be an upgrade over 31-year-old Tanner Hudson, who has been a reliable, inexpensive third tight end in Cincinnati with 58 catches for 506 yards over the last two years. Fant nearly hit those numbers last year alone with a total of 1,400 yards over his last three years in Seattle and a career average of 550 yards per season.
The six-year veteran also brings some versatility to the tight end position that the Bengals currently lack. Sample is largely an inline blocker while Gesicki played almost all of his snaps last year in the slot or out wide. Fant can do all three, which will give head coach Zac Taylor plenty of ways to get him on the field.
The Bengals will be Fant’s third team after he was drafted by the Broncos in 2019 and sent to the Seahawks as part of the Russell Wilson trade in 2022. The former No. 20 pick may not be an elite receiving threat, but he has been consistent: Fant’s 3,305 career receiving yards are the 10th-most among tight ends since he entered the NFL.
The Bengals released undrafted rookie Kole Taylor in a corresponding move, per Schefter.