Tight end opens eyes at Bengals camp
Blocking ability, power bolstered by offseason gain of 12-15 pounds.
Tyler Kroft turned in several strong practices, flashing impressive hands with difficult catches, especially in the red zone.
If you’re handicapping Cincinnati Bengals superlatives, there are some obvious favorites for MVP (A.J. Green), Rookie of the Year ( John Ross or Joe Mixon) and Comeback Player of the Year (Giovani Bernard).
But the leading candidate for Most Improved might come as somewhat of surprise.
Tight end Tyler Kroft turned in several strong practices during training camp, flashing some impressive hands with some difficult catches, especially in the red zone.
“It’s something I worked on the in offseason,” Kroft said. “My main focus was on getting bigger
and making sure that I was more sure-handed in the passing game so when the opportunities come I can make the most of them.”
Kroft, who is entering his third season, said he put on 12-15 pounds during the offseason to be more effective in the run game, but he made sure to work on his route running to maintain his
athleticism.
“I didn’t want to put on bad weight and then not be able to run and move and be fluid like I was before,” Kroft said. “So I really tried to put on weight the right way so I’d be able to run well and still be able to handle a lot of the blocking.
“It’s something I took upon myself,” Kroft added. “Coach (Marvin Lewis) has always been good about letting us play at the weight we’re com- fortable at and feel comfort- able playing at. But I knew I could be even more stout in the run game so I figured I needed to put on a little more weight, and he’s been happy with me so far.”
The Bengals drafted Kroft in the third round in 2015, when he declared after his
junior year at Rutgers. Kroft appeared in all 16 games as a rookie, playing most on special teams and in sets with two tight ends.
A knee injury in the first week of training camp last year sidelined him for the entire preseason, but he played in the first 14 regu- lar-season games, with 11 starts, before knee and ankle injuries kept him out of the final two contests.
Lewis disagreed with the idea that Kroft’s hands have improved and instead attributed his improved production in practice to a rise in comfort level.
“His hands have always been the same,” Lewis said. “I just think it’s just confidence with him, and doing the right things all the time. Everything seems natural now, as opposed to actually thinking about it. The ball
comes secondary to that. He has wonderful hands. We got the guy we wanted.”
Kroft caught 11 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown as a rookie. And despite get
ting increased reps last year due to Tyler Eifert’s injury, he recorded just 10 receptions for 92 yards.
“He was joking the other day about how many balls he caught last year, and it wasn’t a lot,” Eifert said. “I’m like, ‘You’re going to catch a lot of balls this year.’ You can already tell. I think he looks awesome. He’s been playing really well.”