Bengals Hosting Local Tight End Talent For Visit Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft

Cincinnati is hosting a ton of visitors this weekend.

Oct 25, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats tight end Joe Royer (11) carries the ball after making a catch against Baylor Bears safety DJ Coleman (33) in the first half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The Bengals are hosting a local star tight end for a pre-draft visit this weekend. Former Cincinnati Bearcats football tight end Joe Royer is visiting with his local team ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, April 23-25.

According to the Mock Draft Database, Royer is ranked 153rd on the consensus big board and ninth among tight ends.

Local Visit

Cincinnati Bearcats tight end Joe Royer (11) catches a pass during football practice at Sheakley Athletic Performance Center in Cincinnati on Dec. 18, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Royer posted a photo on Instagram of himself inside the Bengals' training area.

In 2024, Royer set the UC school record for a TE with 50 receptions (521 yards, 10.4 yards per catch, three TDs). It bested Travis Kelce's mark of 45 catches as Royer started all 12 games. The starting consistency continued in 2025, where Royer earned third-team All-Big 12 honors and started all 13 games (29 catches-416 yards-14.3 yards per catch, fourTDs).

He could be a nice option for the Bengals in the fourth or fifth round this month.

Director of player personnel Duke Tobin could surely utilize someone with his strong leadership skills and production history.

"I see growth in a 24-year-old Myles Murphy and young corners who have taken the jump, and Jordan Battle, who has taken the jump," Tobin said about his young players at the 2026 NFL Combine. "The one thing we really need is we need those guys or somebody else to take on a leadership role and demand the accountability and demand the execution. We need more leadership. We have tons of leadership on the offensive side of the ball. We need somebody, multiple people, to step up and lead that group from within our team. And it could come from the outside, and it could come from the inside. We can get improvement from both of those areas. We can get improvement and play from the inside, which I see happening, and we can get improvement from the outside, be it the draft or free agency or however we want to attack it."

Cincinnati holds multiple Day 3 picks in this draft, including the 110th pick and 189th pick, around the range where Royer could get selected as he continues a career that began at Ohio State and blossomed in Cincinnati.

Royer Visit | Joe Royer

Sign Up For Our DAILY Newsletter for More Free Coverage of the Cincinnati Bengals Delivered to You Directly

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon. Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more! We're a one-stop shop for all things Cincinnati Bengals! Join the 63,000+ Bengals fans who subscribe to us on YouTube.