CINCINNATI — When Noah Fant made the choice to signal with the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks in the past, it virtually appeared like future.
Three years in the past, Fant was watching the AFC Championship sport between the Bengals and Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, and after Joe Burrow led Cincinnati to an upset win on the highway, Fant jumped on social media to let the world understand how impressed he was with the Bengals quarterback.
On the time, Fant was coming off a 2021 season with the Denver Broncos the place he caught passes from Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock. Since coming into the NFL with Denver because the twentieth total decide within the 2019 NFL Draft, Fant has caught passes from seven completely different beginning quarterbacks, however none of them are fairly on Burrow’s degree.
Burrow-to-Fant connection is already coming alongside properly
Now that Fant is in Cincinnati, the 27-year-old appears fairly excited in regards to the concept of catching passes from Burrow, who led the NFL in passing yards (4,918), passing touchdowns (43) and completions (460) in 2024.
“I’ve form of admired his sport from afar,” Fant stated of Burrow following Tuesday’s apply. “Having the ability to get on the sphere with him, catch some passes, it is actually cool to see how sharp he’s, how good he’s, how decisive. He is an awesome quarterback. It has been actually cool being part of that. Hopefully, I can maintain contributing whichever means I am requested to maintain incomes his belief.”
Fant, who signed with the Bengals on July 31, has solely been training with the staff for a couple of week, however he is already give you some massive performs. He caught a long touchdown through the staff’s apply on Saturday and he additionally had a pleasant seize over the center throughout Tuesday’s apply, which was one among a number of catches that he made on the day.
Fant has been working in with the primary staff, which is an effective signal that he’ll in all probability make his preseason debut on Monday in opposition to Washington after being held out of the Bengals’ preseason opener in Philadelphia on Aug. 7.
Burrow undoubtedly loves throwing to his tight ends: In 2024, Burrow accomplished a complete of 460 passes on the yr and 28% of these (129) went to a decent finish, which is nice information for Fant.
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Teaching employees’s early plan for Fant
The Bengals added Fant regardless that they have already got a reasonably full tight finish room. There are at the moment 5 wholesome tight ends on the roster in Mike Gesicki, Drew Pattern, Tanner Hudson, Cam Grandy and Tanner McLachlan, so in that facet, some may need been stunned that the Bengals added Fant.
The addition truly makes a number of sense, although, and that is largely as a result of he offers the Bengals a flexible chess piece they do not essentially have proper now. Gesicki caught 65 passes final season, which led all tight ends on the staff, however most of these catches got here out of the slot (he was roughly the staff’s third receiver in 2024). After which you have got gamers like Pattern, who usually strains up as a decent finish on the road of scrimmage within the extra conventional sense.
Fant has the power to do each and that is what the Bengals preferred about him after they made the choice to signal him on July 31, in accordance with coach Zac Taylor.
“He offers you much more flexibility. You’ve got received a participant that is actually a plus participant in each the run and the go,” Taylor stated. “On the level of assault, blocking out of the backfield for cover he may also help you, but in addition actually explosive as a receiver.”
If the Bengals need Fant within the slot, they’ll throw him within the slot, but when they need him on the market after they’re in 12 personnel with two tight ends, he can try this, too, in accordance with offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher.
“He is explosive, he is quick, he is highly effective, he has massive highly effective strides,” Pitcher said of Fant on Sunday. “He can operate as a blocker in 12 personnel in a lot of completely different roles.”
The one factor slowing Fant down proper now’s the truth that he has had lower than two weeks to be taught all the offensive playbook.
“He is form of consuming from a hearth hose proper now a bit bit, as you can think about,” Pitcher stated. “We’re on the 600 degree course of the Cincinnati Bengals Joe Burrow offense. He is attempting to take all of it in, and he is doing an excellent job of that. He is placing within the work. We clearly have a imaginative and prescient for the way we will use him and the way we will use his talent set and also you guys will see that quickly sufficient.”
Consuming from the hearth hose is certainly a stable analogy: Fant identified that there is a lot to be taught, like all of the checks that he must know.
“I believe the cool factor is how detailed the offense is,” Fant stated. “After they get into video games — as I am seeing, as I am studying the playbook and going by means of all these items — they’ve so many alternative checks or no matter they might have to scratch any itch they want within the sport, on the snap of a finger. Having that in an offense, it is a number of work on the entrance finish to get that down, however on the again finish, it is form of opened issues up, so you have got a really open offense the place you are able to do no matter you need at any time.”
Fant has completed with at the least 500 yards receiving in 4 of his six profession seasons and he did that whereas catching passes from guys like Joe Flacco, Lock, Brandon Allen, Jeff Driskel and Brett Rypien. Now that he is catching passes from Burrow, Fant’s full potential would possibly lastly be unleashed.
As soon as he learns the offense, the Bengals will possible flip Fant right into a human Swiss Military knife by having him do every little thing from catching passes to run blocking. The Bengals have already got probably the most loaded offenses within the NFL with gamers like Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and it simply received extra loaded with the addition of Fant.
