3 Bengals starters from 2022 who are still free agents
- Will Eli Apple find a new home soon?
- Mitchell Wilcox continues to unfortunately be too injury-prone
- Clark Harris is still a viable long snapper
Mitchell Wilcox, Tight End
When injury struck the Bengals' tight end room, Mitchell Wilcox stepped up. He started four regular season games in 2022. Per PFF, Wilcox contributed 157 receiving yards and one touchdown last season. While his receiving grade was below par, he did post an impressive 72.1 pass blocking grade.
The Bengals lost last year's starter, Hayden Hurst to Carolina during free agency. They were slow in finding a replacement but plumped for the physically talented Irv Smith, and re-signed their own former second-round pick Drew Sample.
That said, Wilcox will be in the Bengals' thinking should anything happen to presumed starter Smith. He has a chequered injury history and should issues reoccur, you can expect the Bengals to kick the tires on Wilcox. He would give the group a solid backup option if needed.