Hayden Hurst

Hurst signed a one-year deal with the Bengals to replace C.J. Uzomah atop the depth chart after Uzomah left for the Jets in free agency. In a Cincinnati offense with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd at wide receiver and Joe Mixon in the backfield, tight end plays an ancillary role. The team ranked 29th last season in the percentage of targets thrown to the position (13.2), and Uzomah had just 493 yards and five touchdowns. Hurst caught 56 of 88 targets for 571 yards and six touchdowns as Atlanta’s starter in 2020 but has mostly been a backup in his three other seasons, failing to eclipse 350 receiving yards or three touchdowns in any year. Baltimore’s 25th overall pick in 2018, Hurst ran a 4.67 40 but has never shown the route-running skills that would allow for steady targets in an offense with good pass catchers. He’s also old (29) for a player with only four seasons under his belt, as he played minor league baseball before college football. Still, Hurst should get plenty of playing time this year with Drew Sample as his only serious competition for snaps, and he’s in good position for per-target efficiency and regular red-zone trips.

Hurst's big chance may have slipped right through his hands, as the Falcons used the fourth overall pick in this year's draft on TE Kyle Pitts a year after sending the Ravens a second-rounder for Hurst. A first-round pick (2018) himself, Hurst is a former minor league baseball player who took his first NFL snap at age 25. He ran a 4.67 40 at 250 pounds, but he's never quite shown playmaking skills to match the measurables. Last year, he switched from a reserve role in Baltimore's run-heavy offense to a starting job in Atlanta's pass-happy attack, finishing TE9 in fantasy points and TE15 in points per game. While the Falcons figure to use multi-TE sets more often under new coach Arthur Smith, it's hard to envision Hurst breaking out while sharing an offense with Pitts, who will steal snaps in clear passing situations, if nothing else.

Nobody would blame Hurst for being impatient, considering he was 25 when he played his first NFL game, heading to Baltimore in 2018 as a first-round pick after he wiped out as a minor league baseball player and remade himself as an SEC tight end. The Ravens were fortunate enough to pick up Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews in the same draft, which meant Hurst spent his first two NFL seasons operating as the No. 3 tight end in a run-heavy offense. His big chance lies ahead in Year 3, following an offseason trade that saw the Falcons surrender a second-round pick for the TE with 4.67 speed. At 6-4, 245, Hurst figures to take over the same starting role that led Austin Hooper to 7.5 targets per game last year, considering the other candidates for playing time are 2018 UDFA Jaeden Graham and XFL star Khari Lee. Wideouts Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley could account for about 300 targets, but running back Todd Gurley is the only other proven commodity as a pass catcher, and it's not even clear he's still an asset. In any case, there should be enough volume to go around, as the combination of poor defense and solid QB play from Matt Ryan has allowed the Falcons to eclipse 4,500 team receiving yards seven times in the last eight seasons. Long story short - the opportunity is everything Hurst could have asked for.

The first-round pick missed all of September recovering from a stress fracture in his foot, then spent the rest of his rookie year playing second fiddle to fellow rookie Mark Andrews (a third-round selection) in the Baltimore passing attack. Hurst said he's back to full strength after getting a screw removed from his foot this offseason, but he'll face tough competition for snaps from Andrews and Nick Boyle. There was some thought the Ravens would let Boyle leave to open snaps for Hurst, but the team instead handed its veteran blocking specialist a three-year, $18 million contract. Given the competition for playing time as well as the run-first nature of Baltimore's offense, Hurst is staring down a tricky path to fantasy relevance. It probably doesn't help that he's unusually old for a second-year player, turning 26 before the season starts.

Some people collect trading cards, some people collect antique furniture, some people collect bottle caps or rubber bands. The Ravens, they collect tight ends. Hurst was the 25th overall pick in this year's draft, and then the club came back with Mark Andrews in the third round. Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams are also on the roster. Ozzie Newsome, are you sure you don't want to take some practice reps? Hurst is unusually old for a rookie - he turns 25 in August - and he only had three TDs on 100 catches at South Carolina. It's hard to say if the age is a feature or a bug - could Hurst be more ready in Year 1, but possess less upside down the road? Is Joe Flacco anyone's idea of a kingmaker? Can Hurst separate himself on a crowded depth chart? Is there a reason we can't stop asking rhetorical questions? Whatever the case may be, Hurst suffered a major setback late in the preseason when a stress fracture in his foot required a procedure to insert a screw. He's unlikely to be available any sooner than Week 3.