The Minnesota Vikings saw Irv Smith Jr. sign with the Cincinnati Bengals late on Monday night. The departure of the Vikings’ second-round pick from 2019 felt inevitable because of the trade for T.J. Hockenson at the trade deadline last October.
When speaking about signing with the Bengals to reporters on Tuesday, Smith said he believes that he could be the missing piece to a Super Bowl.
“Having a relationship with Ja’Marr [Chase], getting to play with Joe Burrow and those guys speaks for itself,” said Smith Jr. “I’ve watched a lot of Bengals games over the years. I wanted to be a part of this opportunity to chase a ring and be a part of something special. … I feel like I’m almost the missing piece to get us that Super Bowl.”
I think adding Smith being the missing piece is a stretch, but hyping up your new team is priority No. 1 when you have an introduction to the local media. A field-stretching tight end who can be flexed out into the slot and in the backfield will take pressure off Chase and Tee Higgins.