Irv Smith Jr. came in from free agency on Monday night. The former Alabama tight end has agreed to a one-year contract offer from the Cincinnati Bengals, NFL Network reported.

Smith changes teams as an unrestricted free agent after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.

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Hayden Hurst had 52 receptions for 414 yards and two touchdowns as Cincinnati’s top tight end in 2022, but he has signed with the Carolina Panthers as a free agent.

Tight end Mitchell Wilcox caught 17 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown for the Bengals in 2022. Wilcox was eligible to be a restricted free agent, but Cincinnati did not offer him a contract. He remains unsigned as an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

The three tight ends on the Bengals’ roster before the addition of Smith caught 12 passes in 2022.

Smith had 25 receptions for 182 yards and two touchdowns in eight regular-season games in 2022.

Smith sustained an ankle injury in a 34-26 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 30, and he missed the next nine games. Smith returned for the regular-season finale, then played in the Vikings’ 31-24 loss to the New York Giants in the first round of the postseason.

Smith joined Minnesota in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and caught 66 passes for 676 yards and seven touchdowns in his first two seasons while forming a tight-end tandem with Kyle Rudolph.

In 2021, Smith sustained a meniscus injury in the Vikings’ preseason finale and missed the entire season.

Smith’s injury troubles continued at training camp for the 2022 season when he hurt his thumb on Aug. 1 and had surgery the next day. Smith returned to practice on Aug. 22.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1