4 tight ends the Bengals could have added instead of Irv Smith Jr.

3. Luke Musgrave

Note: This article was written before the Monday night game so stats from that game are not included.

The Green Bay Packers spent a second-round pick on Luke Musgrave and he's looked pretty good for them through four games. The Oregon State product was injured during his senior season, which is likely why he fell to the second round of the draft but the Packers have seen that he was worth the risk, at least early on in his career.

Musgrave has 12 catches for 125 yards and averages over 10 yards per catch. He's been a huge help to Jordan Love in his first full year as the Packers quarterback and it'd have been nice to see a young tight end in this offense. Musgrave would have been put right to work in Cincinnati.

2. Hayden Hurst

The Bengals signed Hayden Hurst in the 2022 offseason to replace C.J. Uzomah, who departed for the New York Jets in free agency that year. Hurst then benefitted from playing with Joe Burrow, catching 52 balls for 414 yards and two touchdowns.

That performance was enough to land Hurst a massive three-year deal worth over $21 million with the Carolina Panthers. Through five games, Hurst has 13 catches for 100 yards and one touchdown. He put on his best performance of the season in Week 5 in Detroit, catching five passes for 41 yards.

Hurst was a huge piece in the Bengals offense last year and he was Burrow's safety blanket. He's definitely been missed in this offense but it is nice to see him doing well for himself in Carolina even if he's playing for a really bad Panthers team.