What You Need to Know:

• Hurst has averaged just 2.2 receptions per game through 4 NFL seasons.
• He ranks just 41st in yards per target (7.2) over the past 4 years among TEs with 40+ targets.
• Cincinnati’s lead TE in 2021, C.J. Uzomah, tied for 21st at the position in total targets. He drew just 2 end-zone looks, tying for 40th among TEs.
• The Bengals have ranked 29th in the league in TE target share each of the past 2 seasons.
• Hurst signed a 1-year, $3.5 million contract ($2 million guaranteed) in free agency after Uzomah left for the Jets.
• “We feel like that guy can be a real weapon and asset for us this year,” Zac Taylor told reporters in late March.
• The Ravens traded Hurst to Atlanta, 2 years after drafting him in the 1st round (ahead of Lamar Jackson). The Falcons declined his 5th-year option after basically swapping a 2nd-round pick for him.

Draft Sharks Bottom Line:

There’s some scoring opportunity in what should be a robust Cincinnati offense, but it’s hard to like Hurst outside of best-ball formats. The Bengals haven’t been generous with TE targets since Zay Taylor arrived, and Hurst has already played his way off 2 teams that invested more in him than Cincinnati has.