Bengals Film Breakdown: What Irv Smith Jr. Adds to Cincinnati's Offense

The Bengals are signing Smith to a one-year contract.

Mike Santagata | Mar 29, 2023

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Cincinnati Bengals

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, the Bengals finally landed a tight end in free agency. They're signing former Vikings second-rounder Irv Smith Jr.

The 24-year-old never really hit his potential in Minnesota. He’s a great straight line athlete for the tight end position, but he’s shorter (6-2) and slimmer (240) than the typical tight end.

He flashed quite a bit of potential in Minnesota, but missed 29 games over his 4-year stint there. He never seemed to put everything together either which led to the Vikings trading for T.J. Hockenson. He’s young, athletic, and appears ready to take the next step in Cincinnati.

Where He Excels

Surprisingly good blocker in space. He does a great job of tracking the second level and has the athleticism to move with them. He can be a plus blocker in this area.

Irv Smith is a very good blocker in space at the second level. Does a fantastic job of tracking these guys and using his athleticism. pic.twitter.com/dlA1y5RgMr
— mike (@bengals_sans) March 28, 2023

Very good straight line athlete. He can threaten defenses vertically and get open with his speed.

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— Wally the dog (@pff_wally) March 28, 2023

Smooth mover for a tight end on routes. He can shift and change direction underneath with ease and transitions well from pass catcher to runner.

pic.twitter.com/oC5PCY9k79
— Wally the dog (@pff_wally) March 28, 2023

Does a good job to use a push off move to create separation from defenders at the break. He's been called for two offensive pass interference penalties in his career so may need to shorten the push, but overall it’s a very effective move.

pic.twitter.com/lTn4J25N1D
— Wally the dog (@pff_wally) March 28, 2023

Smith has shown a very nice ability to hold on through contact and overall has nice hands, although he did have a crucial drop against the Eagles. He's only dropped four passes in his career.

pic.twitter.com/r19spmp3kU
— Wally the dog (@pff_wally) March 28, 2023

Processes the defense well as a blocker. He does a great job to keep his eyes up to pick up free runners on run plays and has a keen awareness in pass protection.

pic.twitter.com/bDIkpqI11m
— Wally the dog (@pff_wally) March 28, 2023

Areas of Concern

While he can survive in-line, it’s not his strong suit, and he is a net negative as a blocker there against high-end talent. He struggled quite a bit trying to block Cam Jordan and Brandon Graham.

pic.twitter.com/bDIkpqI11m
— Wally the dog (@pff_wally) March 28, 2023

Doesn't release well at the first or second level. Smith allows defenders to latch onto him, reroute him, and disrupt the timing of his routes.

pic.twitter.com/0nXTdjAAim
— Wally the dog (@pff_wally) March 28, 2023

Smith has an extensive injury history that cost him 29 games over four seasons, including 26 in the past two years.

Scheme Fit

Smith is more of a big slot style of tight end than he is your traditional Y/in-line tight end. He can survive in-line similar to Hayden Hurst, but he is going to make most of his contributions as a receiver or as a blocker in space. He is a very smooth mover underneath and while he can threaten defenses vertically with his athleticism, it has never really been a big part of his game at the NFL level. He should be a reliable 3rd down option that gives you just enough as a blocker.

Overall Thoughts

The Bengals landed a solid tight end in Smith. He’s a good receiver that has flashed dynamic ability. The Bengals will most likely use him similar to the way they used Hurst last season. Smith is more athletic and younger, which is why the signing makes quite a bit of sense.

He will make his money as a pass catcher. Smith is a smooth mover and has flashed some run after catch ability. He can create separation with his route running, push off, and athleticism. He also seems to do a fairly good job of settling in zone coverages to be able to take advantage of the soft spots for easy targets.

His ability to hold on through contact is admirable and overall he has had very good hands over his career. His issues as a receiver will show up when he is jammed or rerouted at the second level. He does not do a good job of keeping his body clean with releases. Smith is still young and typically tight ends develop their release over the course of their career, so it’s possible he improves in this area.

He will be asked to line up in-line for the Bengals. He’s smart as both a pass protector and run blocker to pick up free runners, but he struggles blocking talented players one-on-one.

He will be asked to do this fairly often when the Bengals run duo. He does a good job on combination blocks and showed off his athleticism on sift blocks. He may be able to add in some pulling to his repertoire this season if the Bengals get to their GY counter concept. He has the athleticism and ability to block in space to be a plus player in that area.

Smith will have some plays that fail because of him, but in general he survives and if used correctly could even be a plus contributor at times as an in-line blocker.

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