Bearcats’ Josh Whyle wouldn’t mind staying home and playing with Bengals

It isn’t just Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer who wouldn’t mind staying with his hometown Cincinnati Bengals and playing with Joe Burrow.

Count Cincinnati Bearcats tight end Josh Whyle as one of those guys open to the same thing.

Speaking at the scouting combine on Friday, Whyle said he’s more than aware the Bengals have Hayden Hurst, Mitchell Wilcox and Drew Sample heading to free agency.

“I think there’s an open spot,” Whyle said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “That’d be pretty cool playing ten minutes away.”

Would he like the fit? Let’s just say as a local guy, he’s been keeping an eye on things.

“Especially the last couple of years. Hard to miss,” Whyle said. “It’s really exciting. JoeyB can really sling it. It seems like they have really good chemistry. They all really play together well. It’s a really exciting offense with lot of playmakers.”

Whyle played local ball at LaSalle High School, then put up 15 touchdowns over his last three seasons with the Bearcats. At 6’6″ and athletic, he certainly fits the profile of what the team wants in the draft.

Like others, Whyle is a good example of a deep offseason for tight end that presents plenty of options for the Bengals. But it would be notably sweet for the team to again lean into the hometown kid storyline and make Whyle a draft pick this offseason.