Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki went from being a little surprised he was mentioned by Joe Burrow alongside Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to signing a new deal with the team to give him some of his first serious consistency as a pro.
Before 2024, Gesicki had been mildly infamous for never getting a stable head coach or quarterback situation during his stops around the NFL.
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Now? That’s all changed. Gesicki says the impact has been felt as early as these OTAs sessions.
“I think the biggest thing is now that I’m in the same system, I’m not worrying about myself as much,” Gesicki told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I can concentrate on the defense more, and knowing Joe, I know I’m going to get that freedom out there.”
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When the Bengals brought on Gesicki one offseason ago, they too struggled with consistency at his position after the brief C.J. Uzomah era ended. While there was always a chance Gesicki was going to be the latest Joe Burrow-fed tight end to make bank elsewhere, the Bengals paid up to secure this exact type of consistency for both him and Burrow’s offense.
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Granted, observant onlookers will point out that Gesicki is more of a big slot receiver and that’s why they liked the breakout from rookie Erick All so much last year before his injury. But either way, another year in the same system should mean fewer early-season struggles and perhaps more wrinkles to the offense than a season ago, too.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals’ Mike Gesicki sounds poised for a leap in Joe Burrow’s offense