We look at the signing of Uzomah and why it made sense for the Bengals"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections #BITESIZEFilm RoomRoster Transactions and ContractsOrange & Black InsiderSalary Cap And CBABreaking NewsKeep track of the 2019 Bengals draft脳NFL Free AgencyAnalysisVideos5 reasons the Bengals’ re-signing of C.J. Uzomah makes senseNew Dre Kirkpatrick Jersey ,5commentsWe look at the signing of Uzomah and why it made sense for the BengalsEDTShareTweetShareShare5 reasons the Bengals’ re-signing of C.J. Uzomah makes sense5 reasons it made sense for the Bengals to bring back C.J. UzomahThe Bengals had some practice squad guys coming back at tight end in 2019 and Mason Schreck was returning from his injury, but all three of their starters from 2018 were free agents. The question was, will the Bengals bring any of those starters back—and if they did, who would it be? Well, now the question has been answered and initially, it was in C.J. Uzomah. Once a young player who was billed as very raw and needing development coming out of college, he began to really turn a corner in his professional career last season. Even so, many believe that he still has his best football in front of him. Let’s take a look at the top-five reasons the signing made sense from the Bengals’ side.1. Offers versatility in the draftThe Bengals (and most other teams) don’t like to go into the draft with any glaring needs, as that can force them to reach on a player that otherwise they wouldn’t have taken. With that thought in mind, the Bengals needed to sign at least one tight end as they couldn’t go into 2019 with a slew of unproven players at the position. While they would arguably be worth the 11th pick Billy Price Jersey , the Bengals didn’t want to be forced into taking T.J. Hockenson or Noah Fant, as it could cause them to pass on someone they may see as a overall better player at a different position. On top of that facet, every other team would know the Bengals wanted to draft a tight end and would try to trade in front of them for one, which is a similar situation to what happened with Frank Ragnow and the Detroit Lions in the 2018 draft.2. Offers the ability to still draft a tight end if they wantThe deal that Uzomah signed was three years, $18 million. It’s neither too much money, nor is it long enough that it eliminates the option to draft a tight end, if they believe the player is worth it. If the Bengals think that Fant is the best player at No. 11 and helps the team the most in the long run, this deal (nor the one for veteran Tyler Eifert) does not stop them from making that pick. Uzomah has earned this deal, but he has not shown enough to trust in him as the sole tight end going forward and to not believe the Bengals can’t improve at the position. 3. Keeps a player that still has room to growUzomah is just now entering his prime at 26 years old and still has the potential to outperform this new contract. As mentioned above, he did not have a tight end coach in college and had to learn from other position coaches on both receiving and blocking skills.With that in mind Jessie Bates Jersey , it is easy to see why it took him so long to develop into a solid player in the pros. It also suggests that he can continue learning and potentially become a very good to elite player. Most tight ends take a good one or two years to really make an impact in the NFL, and it makes sense that that timeline would be pushed back for a player with minimal positional coaching in college. 4. Fair money for a good playerThe contract makes Uzomah around the 16th-highest paid tight end in the league. That is very fair money for a player who had solid production while playing injured for most of 2019. This is especially the case when you look at the specific players who are making around the same money or more. Former teammate Tyler Kroft is making slightly more on his contract with the Bills, while Uzomah was better able to produce and stay healthy with the Bengals. Nick Boyle is getting paid the same amount, and while a better blocker, is much less athletic and a worse receiver than Uzomah. The athleticism that Uzomah has for his size is phenomenal and suggests he can be a solid downfield threat in a better scheme. 5. Has a rapport with DaltonIf the Bengals want to be successful in 2019 they have to get Andy Dalton to play as well as he possibly can. With that in mind, the Uzomah signing makes a lot of sense, as he has already established a connection with Dalton over the previous four seasons. After becoming fully healthy and getting into an offense that better uses his skill-set, Uzomah has a sky-high ceiling for the 2019 season. Making Dalton as comfortable as possible should be the goal for 2019, as they need to evaluate him to figure out what to do when his contract runs out. Giving him back a tight end he is already comfortable with will go a long way in that regard.Bengals’ coaches are confident in Giovani Bernard and Mark Walton stepping up vs. Panthers The Bengals got some sobering news after Thursday night’s game. Joe Mixon needed a minor surgery on his knee that would cause him to miss at least two games. Then, Tra Carson hurt his hamstring in preparation for the Cincinnati’s game against Carolina on Sunday. That caused the team to waive him and sign Thomas Rawls as an emergency back. What was once a deep position for the Bengals is suddenly on its last leg.However Sam Hubbard Jersey , Giovani Bernard, who is going to become the feature back in Mixon’s absence, isn’t worried about the extra playing time.“I mean, I’m not like an ice cube. It’s not like I’m not going to die or something. Its football,” Bernard told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Guys are going to go down and the next man has to step up at the end of the day, and it’s my opportunity to go out there and play football like I do every Sunday.“Whatever play I get, I’m a running back, so inside, outside, don’t really matter. Just when you get the ball in your hands Malik Jefferson Jersey , make a play.”Bernard should have all the confidence in the world. He is one of the most veteran players on the offensive side of the ball. He was drafted in 2012, and has been a productive member with his limited role ever since. He has rarely been given the spotlight as the starter in his career. In fact, Bernard has only started 12 games in his entire career. Most of those starts came in 2014 when he started over rookie running back Jeremy Hill for the first seven games. Bernard still has an extreme amount of confidence from his coaches, although they don’t want him to carry the load alone.“Most games you should consider it’s going to take more than one back. I think it’s fair,” offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said. “But I don’t look at Gio any differently. To me the guy’s a warrior. Coming off the knee surgery two years ago and what he did last year, I just think he’s a warrior. “He’s really physically unique being able to do that with his stature, to play the way he plays. He finishes runs, he doesn’t run out of bounds, he doesn’t go down easily. I think he’s a warrior. I have great respect for him. Do we have to be smart with him? Absolutely. But no different than with any starting running back.”The fact Bernard didn’t start last season on the PUP list tells you how tough he is. His 2016 season ended in Week 11 with an ACL injury. That usually takes players around a year to come back from. Bernard only took a fraction of that as he suited up Week 1.Bernard often gets generalized as a change-of-pace back, but he has shown the ability to run in between the tackles regularly. It could be that people see how good he is in space and assume that Mark Walton Jersey , but he is just as likely to beat a team running behind the guard and center as outside. That is what make Bernard so deadly to prepare for. The Bengals can line him up anywhere and run any play with him. We should see all of Bernard’s bag of tricks come Sunday.We should also see the premiere of Mark Walton, the Bengals fourth-round pick. The rookie had a rocky preseason, but he is confident that he has learned from his mistakes in exhibition play.“I was kind of hesitating and second-guessing myself, and I would start waiting for the cutback,” Walton said. “In college, I had a lot of cutbacks and that’s what I thought I was going to bring here, but cutbacks are very rare here in this league so you’ve just got to take what you can get from the defense.”Hopefully, Walton shows how much he has learned in his limited role on Sunday.