The Cincinnati Bengals lost tight end Hayden Hurst in free agency in large part because the money side of things didn’t make sense.

But it might make a little more sense with the trade deadline approaching.

Over the course of an 0-6 start for the potentially-selling Carolina Panthers, Hurst has just 14 catches with one touchdown, including only three targets in each of his last five games.

The Athletic’s Joe Person says the Panthers could look to move Hurst:

With Reich’s history of involving the tight ends in the passing game and Hayden Hurst’s track record as a receiver, this seemed like a perfect marriage when the Panthers signed the 30-year-old to a three-year, $21.75 million deal during free agency. But Hurst has only been a bit player in the offense, at least when Reich was calling plays.

Hurst’s deal sounds huge, but adding him now would cost less than $1 million in cash for the rest of the 2023 season before he becomes an $8 million cap hit in 2024. But the 2024 part is a bit moot — the team could come up with ways to restructure or move other things around to make it affordable.

And it might just make a lot of sense for the Bengals to make it happen, much as we argued they should call Denver about getting Samaje Perine back.

Hurst didn’t have jaw-dropping numbers over 13 games last year, catching 52 passes for 414 yards and two scores. But 26 of those went for first downs and fans know all too well what a crucial piece of the offense he was. The Bengals are getting nothing from Irv Smith Jr. by comparison and there’s nothing notable behind him on the depth chart.

Much as it might hurt the pride to cough up a draft pick to get Hurst back, it’s a pretty unique spot to be in because unlike “outside” free agents, he’s already experienced in the program and would slot in right away and help.