Hayden Hurst might reveal Bengals’ free-agency blueprint this offseason

The Cincinnati Bengals might consider the rebuild complete and it time to switch gears in how they build the team.

But one unexpected wrinkle in free agency might be getting more players like Hayden Hurst.

Hurst, a former first-round pick with something to prove, signed a cheaper one-year deal with the Bengals last year and made a big impact.

That sort of deal is something the Bengals expect to pursue again this summer.

“I definitely see it happening a little more this year because it’s a route where we are headed adding guys that want to come and we are not going to be able to break the bank on some of these additions,” Bengals director of pro scouting Steven Radicevic said, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic.

It’s a fantastic point to make and a great luxury for a contender to have — guys willing to accept cheapish deals for a chance to show out on a contender aren’t normally available to the Bengals.

And in Hurst’s case, the gamble worked out great. He showed his prior two teams hadn’t used him properly and that should earn him a big contract this summer, the only drawback being he might not be in the Bengals’ price range again.

Still, with needs at tight end, cornerback and in both trenches — to name a few — the Bengals might just be able to land a Hurst-type player who again makes a big impact.