Getty Cincinnati Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst is set to test free agency this offseason.
The Dallas Cowboys have a serious question to answer in the 2023 offseason, and they can find their solution in a Cincinnati Bengals star.
Dallas faced a similar problem in 2022, as the tight end position needed an immediate answer as veteran TE Dalton Schultz was set to free agency. The Cowboys elected to franchise tag Schultz, keeping him around for the 2022 season.
A year later, they are being urged to go a different route. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes that the current market for the position calls for a change and that Bengals star Hayden Hurst is a worthy replacement.
“Replacing Schultz at tight end, if necessary, will be a much more affordable endeavor. Several starting-caliber TEs are set to hit the open market, and a saturated market should keep the cost for many of them low,” Knox writes. “Cincinnati Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst, for example, has a market value of just $6.8 million annually. That’s a fair price for a player who had 52 catches and 414 yards as the fourth target in Cincinnati’s offense.”
The Cowboys could do far worse than Hurst as the team’s new TE1, but it’s worth noting that Hurst has not produced at Schultz’s level at any point in his career.
Hurst’s Latest with the Bengals
Coming out of South Carolina for the 2018 NFL draft, Hurst had serious hype and was drafted late in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens. However, anyone that has followed the tight end knows that his career hasn’t necessarily lived up to first-round billing.
Hurst has played for three different teams, and PFR shows that best production came with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020, when he totaled 571 receiving yards and six touchdowns. That led to his opportunity with Cincinnati, but another change in scenery didn’t translate to elite production.
In 26 games with the Bengals over the last two years, he brought down 78 receptions for 665 yards and five touchdowns. Of course, Hurst is sharing attention with receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, as well as running back Joe Mixon.
He could take on a bigger role with the Cowboys but giving him a similar workload while utilizing his blocking capabilities would be the probable outcome. If he’s available for an affordable price, Dallas could be getting far better value out of the tight end position, although Schultz has proven that he can be a high-volume receiver while Hurst has not.
Cowboys Hint at Upcoming Decision
In terms of figuring out how Dallas will address their needs this offseason, the use of the franchise tag will provide a lot of info. Running back Tony Pollard seems like a prime candidate, but the Cowboys could elect to use it on Schultz or another out-of-contract player.
ESPN’s Todd Archer spoke to Dallas CEO Stephen Jones, who explained that the team will likely use the franchise tag again, although he was unwilling to divulge who could be tagged in 2023.
“Stephen Jones wouldn’t get into the Cowboys’ upcoming decisions regarding Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, but said of the franchise tag, ‘We’re not afraid of the tag. End of the day we’ll probably use it again this year.’ Pollard is prime candidate at a cost of $10.1 million,” Archer posted.
If Dallas does use the franchise tag on Pollard, that would make Schultz’s future even murkier then it already is. Considering the Cowboys’ tight cap space situation, it would be hard to imagine Dallas paying the tight end anywhere close to his market value, which Knox stated was at around $15 million a season.