Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, architect of one of the NFL's most devastating offenses, sounds like the rocket man who has just been handed another tool for a scheme that runs on high-octane options.
"He gives you even more flexibility. You've got a player that's really a plus player in both the run and the pass," Taylor said. "At the point of attack, blocking out of the backfield for protection he can help you, but also really explosive as a receiver."
Before Thursday's practice, Taylor couldn't say his name because the deal had yet to signed. Noah Fant, the tight end who could not be named, signed later in the day in time to make his first walkthrough and installed as quarterback Joe Burrow’s next option.
"It's a great offense to be in," said Fant after signing a one-year deal. "Great coaches. When I took my visit (last week), I really liked the conversations I had. It will be a good fit."
This deal is all about fit. It not only has Taylor upbeat with possibilities, but it also has a player personnel department looking almost like the cat that swallowed the proverbial canary. It not only inked 65-catch tight end Mike Gesicki to a three-year deal back in March, but it just snagged a 27-year-old former first-round pick as one of his running mates.
"When you look back after the season and you didn't even know who was going to be in this tight end room," said assistant general manager Steven Radicevic, "and now to have both Mike and Noah, you've got to feel pretty [good] about that."
In Gesicki and Fant, the Bengals have two of the most productive tight ends of the 2020s with strikingly similar numbers. With 260 catches, Fant is seventh among tight ends with catches in the decade. Gesicki has 252. With 2,754 yards, Gesicki, who is treated like a wide receiver by many defenses, has the 10th most yards among tight ends. Fant is next with 2,743.
Ever since their prized rookie tight end, Erick All Jr., was ruled out of this season with an ACL injury, the Bengals have been trying to replicate how he complemented the receiver-ish Gesicki and the blocker Drew Sample.
All has a nice blend of explosion after the catch to go with his rep as a terrific and fearless blocker. In the 6-4, 249-pound Fant, they've got a guy who may not be as identified with the pass game as Gesicki or as dominant as All in the run game, but he's a solid two-way pro player known to be good in the room.
Here's a guy who has also had two 60-catch seasons for Denver while the Broncos were a-top 13 rushing team.
"Great kid. Great personality. I enjoyed talking to him on his visit," Radicevic said. "He'll be well used in our offensive scheme. He's really got athleticism, and he'll stick his head in there as a blocker."
The Bengals really like Fant's toughness when it comes to breaking tackles and his ability to churn out yards after catch. According to Pro Football Reference, 51% of his 3,305 career yards have come after the catch. All's skillset helped Taylor use more multiple tight-end sets last year, and the arrival of Fant should keep that going as Taylor looks for a balance between three wide receivers (11 personnel) and multiple tight ends (12 and 13).
As one club insider mused Thursday, what are defenses going to do if Taylor deploys Gesicki and Fant with All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and two-time 1,000-yard wide receiver Tee Higgins?
"Great size, great explosiveness, really good hands, tough to bring down," Taylor said. "I think 11 personnel is probably a pretty broad term for us right now. Because of how you view Gesicki and how defenses view him. There are times we have two tight ends on the field. That's really 11 personnel. We have a lot of different ways we can deploy our tight ends and different combinations that try to generate different defenses and then try to attack however they decide to play us.
"Mike can get a lot of matchups that he can really take advantage of, and whether that's another personnel or that's 12 personnel. Eleven for us is a much broader term because rolling two tight ends out there doesn't always mean that we're going to get base defense."
Fant, drafted by Denver with the 20th pick in the 2019 draft before going to Seattle as part of the Russell Wilson trade, was recently a surprise cut after Seattle drafted Elijah Arroyo in the second round.
"This is a very star-studded offense and I'll play my role where ever it may be," Fant said. "I keep trying every year to become a more all-around tight end. Keep getting better in multiple areas. Be more explosive stretching the seam. Things of that nature. Especially in the run game and make strides in that."
Fant is aware how good Burrow and Taylor have been for tight ends. Gesicki, Hayden Hurst and C.J. Uzomah basically used one-year deals to get big-money-multi- years.
Taylor knows why.
"I think our quarterback, first of all, is going to find you. We face a lot of zone coverage, and so guys that have awareness and savviness and good hands," Taylor said, "Joe's going to find it. Anytime that anybody gets that void, you're going to get the catch. And we found that a lot with our tight ends, because of the receivers that we have that draw so much attention.
"Our tight ends have done a great job, over the years, finding that space and being rewarded for it. I think schematically our staff does a great job of utilizing everyone to their strengths, and so giving guys the best opportunity to play to their strengths and being able to maximize that in the tight end room, especially, you've seen that pay off time and time again for guys, from a statistical standpoint, from a Bengals offensive standpoint, from a financial standpoint that's really paid off for a lot of guys here the last couple years."
As Radicevic gave Fant his papers to sign, he shook his head. It seems like they've been talking about him and coveting him for 10 years.
"This is where I'm meant to be right now," said Fant, who can now be named another option.
