New Bengals tight end Noah Fant wasted no time making an impact in last week's opener and is looking for more in Sunday's Paycor Stadium opener (1 p.m.-Cincinnati’s Local 12) against the Jaguars.

Typically, one of the last to leave the locker room for the day, he met Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson at the door for this week's conversation about this new chapter in his career, playing with Joe Burrow, being teamed with right guard Dalton Risner again and why he didn't keep Sunday's touchdown ball.

THE CONVERSATION

GH: In your Bengals debut last Sunday in Cleveland, you not only had a touchdown, but you had as many targets (five) and more catches (4-2) than Triple Crown winner Ja’Marr Chase. Who would have called that back on July 15, when you were still a Seahawk? This is a weird game, isn't it?

NF: It's definitely a weird game. I'm not quite so sure how often that's going to happen. Obviously, we've got Ja'Marr and Tee (Higgins) and Chase (Brown) and Andrei (Iosivas) and Mike (Gesicki). We've got a bunch of guys that can make plays.

I was just trying to be available when Joe needed me. Obviously, my mind goes to the one that I dropped, and I don't want any of those. Improvement driven to not have those mistakes. That first week usually has some clunky starts to it. But I'm happy to be able to be there for Joe to be an outlet when he needed it. As the season goes on, those plays are going to pop for big gains for Tee, Ja'Marr and all those guys.

GH: When Seattle cut you so close to training camp, did you come into the season with any kind of an edge? Did you get mad?

NF: There's a lot that goes into that type of stuff. I definitely wasn't happy with the situation. But you move forward. I felt like God had a plan for me to be here. It hasn't necessarily flourished yet, but I think that being here, being 1-0, learning the offense, being with a great quarterback, being with a really star-studded offense, and just the team atmosphere has felt really cool to me. It feels right. I'm happy to be here.

GH: You took trips after Seattle cut you, right?

NF: I visited here. Miami. New Orleans. I probably could have signed with a team the next day, but I wanted to talk to the coaches, meet the coaches, see what their vision was for me, all these things. See where I fit in, not only into the offense, but the team and the tight end room. All that stuff is important, and being around good people. So I really felt that connection here. I feel like the most, so it was an easy decision from that standpoint.

GH: People seem to forget that you didn't get here until just after camp because you've seamlessly stepped into the offense. The coaches are saying you can't judge tight end usage from this game, that it's going to be different each week. Is that going to be different for you?

NF: It's kind of like one of those things that I got here from Seattle quite late, and usually teams have their roster set. It's kind of nice having the rotation between me and Drew (Sample), me and Mike and Drew, and whichever way you want to dice it up. It just keeps us all fresh. Like you said, each game is going to be different, where Mike will have the most plays, Drew will have the most plays, maybe I'll have the most plays. But my biggest focus is trying to do what's asked of me on each possession, each drive and each play, and let everything else take care of itself.

GH: It had to be a nice feeling to catch that touchdown Sunday.

NF: It was great to get that first touchdown in and help the team in any way I could, and hopefully many more to come. The most important thing was to be able to come out with the win. Being 1-0 is the best part.

GH: An NFL opener never seems pretty nor easy.

NF: I feel like that's known around the league. You know it's going to be kind of a clunky, gritty game. Obviously, the goal is always to not have that, right? You've got to have an understanding that you're not going to have any film scouted for what the defense is going to do that season. It's just going to be kind of a getting back into a groove thing.

I felt like we came out hot, though, came out with a good start, and now we've just kind of got to get ironed out the coming back out in the second half with the half-time adjustments and all that stuff, and execute from there. I think we'll get it down for sure.

GH: Denver drafted you in the first round in 2019, then in 2022, you went to Seattle in the Russell Wilson trade. I get the sense this is the opening of a second phase of your career.

NF: It feels like that for me, also. I think this is like a good, fresh start. A restart with a coaching staff that I really kind of hit it off with, and felt like I really fit in.

GH: Only one real game with Joe Burrow, but plenty of camp snaps with him. As advertised?

NF: A hundred percent. I think what's really special about him, something that you don't see if you're not in person with him and really don't get a good feeling for, is how laser-focused and constantly in an attack mode when he's on the field. He's so locked in and detailed. I feel like it's cool, because you can see it among the team, among the offense, it motivates people to do the same.

And that's what you want from your franchise guy who's helping lead your team. He's been all as advertised. And I really enjoy just in the short time I've been here being able to work with him and trying to just be where he needs me to be, and help the offense in any way I can.

GH: Players and coaches say they are looking for more than last Sunday's 17 points.

NF: You don't want to say it too nonchalantly, but I don't have any doubt the offense will get going. We came out really well, like, a (12)-play drive, and then we scored on the (third) drive. It's halftime, and getting into the second half, where we just have to pick it up a little bit quicker and sustain drives. I think it'll play itself out. I think that the offense is going to be like a great, potent offense. You have that many talented players, it's going to be hard not to be. I'm excited to be a part of it and just be able to contribute in any way I can.

GH: The equipment guys tell me you're always among the last to leave the locker room for the day. You were telling me you're in the training room a lot taking care of your body, and that's basically what you studied at Iowa

NF: I was a Health and Human Physiology major, and then once I declared for the draft, I actually had to switch my major to Health Sciences because I couldn't finish my Health and Human Physiology online because you have to do anatomy labs and stuff like that. So I currently take classes in the summer to keep chipping away at my degree. I have 20 something semester hours left.

GH: Do you have any post-career plans with that?

NF: The biggest thing for me was, I had a big conversation with my parents when I was coming out of college about the decision to leave early, and I promised them that I would get my degree. That's just the biggest goal right now is to just continue to chip away at it when I do have free time during the offseason and see where I can use that degree.

I think a lot of areas in the health fitness, health science area, I can go in multiple directions with that. Hopefully, one day being able to own my own sports facility. I've got time to do that, I'm focused on being here right now.

GH: You probably weren't surprised when Dalton Risner, your good friend from the Denver days, went in there right away at right guard and played well.

NF: It's so funny because when he first got here (Aug. 28), I'm like, 'OK, he'll get in here and get a little time to work in and learn the offense,' and all

that stuff. And I don't even know what play it was. I think it was in the (second) quarter, and he's like right into the fire in the Dawg Pound, as we called it. It was really cool. I was super complimentary of him after the game. So much was on him. Some of the silent count and some of that stuff. Hopped right in. And there were some mistakes along the way by everybody, not any specific person. But for him to come in and do that and look as clean as he did, I was super impressed with that. So I was happy for him.

GH: Did he ask you for help during the game?

NF: No, not really for help. I think that's all O-Line communication. (Center) Ted (Karras) leads a lot of that stuff. He's really the guy who leads the communication from that standpoint. But he fit in seamlessly. It was pretty cool to see that they just kind of took off from there.

GH: Hadn't taken a snap with Burrow or next to Ted.

NF: It was great. And obviously, I think this week will be a little bit easier for him to have full preparation and all that stuff and know the offense a little bit more. I just told him after the game, 'How about getting thrown into the fire?" He was just giggling and laughing. It was a cool moment, though. For him to do that and roll in seamlessly was just a testament to who he is as a player and as a person. Good deal.

GH: Are you going to have anybody here at the home opener?

NF: Usually, my dad comes to a good amount of games. My girlfriend. Some friends and family. Kind of fluctuates from game-to-game. But I've got a good support system.

GH: Did your dad coach you at all?

NF: My dad coached me in little league, and a little bit in middle school, and then once I got to high school, he kind of stopped coaching and just came to my games and supported me.

GH: They still live in Nebraska?

NF: Still live in Nebraska.

GH: What's he do for a living?

NF: He's a computer software engineer. After COVID, a lot of that work went remote, so as long as he has WIFI and all the stuff that he needs, he can kind of work from where ever, which is cool. It gives him an opportunity to be able to travel and see my games and stuff like that. He's great. That's my guy, and I'm super happy that he comes to a lot of games. It gives me a chance to see him, and I know that he likes to be there and support. There'll be a decent amount of people here.

GH: In a few weeks, you go back to Denver on a Monday night. What will that be like?

NF: When I got traded from Denver to Seattle, we actually played them. I think it was the first game after the Russell Wilson trade went down. So I've played them a couple times since. But it will be a lot of fun.

GH: Do you have any plans for the TD ball from Sunday?

NF: I do not. I probably should have kept that, honestly, my first touchdown here. I kept my very first touchdown ball, some of that stuff. But I try not to get too sentimental on the touchdown balls because I'm like, 'I'm going to get another one.' That's my motivation. I'll get another one, and maybe towards the end of my career when it's getting closer, maybe I'll start keeping those if that's my last one.

GH: Just another one along the way?

NF: Along the way and, hopefully, more to come.