Wilcox signed a contract with the Patriots on Monday, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports.
Wilcox now will call New England home after spending the first three campaigns of his career In Cincinnati. The 27-year-old appeared in all 17 regular-season games in 2023, mostly operating as the Bengals' No. 3 option at tight end and recording nine catches (on 12 targets) for 56 yards. If he can make the Patriots' roster this year, he'll likely be a depth option for them, too.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Ready for Sunday
Rotowire
Wilcox (foot) has no injury designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Chiefs, Jay Morrison of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.
Wilcox popped up on Cincinnati's injury report as a limited participant in Thursday's practice due to a foot injury, but after a full workload Friday, it seems as if the 27-year-old has already moved past the issue. Expect Wilcox to serve as the Bengals' No. 3 tight end behind Tanner Hudson and Drew Sample in Week 17.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Tending to foot injury
Rotowire
Wilcox (foot) was a limited participant at practice Thursday.
Wilcox was not listed on the Bengals' injury report Wednesday, so he presumably picked up the foot issue at practice during the week. He'll likely need to practice in full Friday to avoid carrying an injury designation into the weekend.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Two catches against Vikings
Rotowire
Wilcox recorded two catches for 20 yards in Saturday's 27-24 overtime win over the Vikings.
Four different Bengals tight ends received double-digit snaps against the Vikings, making it difficult to rely upon any single option at the position. Wilcox is the least likely of the four to have a productive fantasy game in any given week, as he's logged just 10 targets across 175 snaps on offense for the season.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Records reception in win
Rotowire
Wilcox hauled in his lone target for a 12-yard reception while playing 12 of the Bengals' 73 snaps on offense in Monday's 34-31 overtime win over the Jaguars.
The 12 receiving yards were a season-high total for Wilcox, which speaks to the muted role he typically holds in the Bengals' passing attack. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Wilcox is valued as a blocker and is a core contributor on special teams, so he should continue to remain active on game days even while he rarely contributes as a pass catcher.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Fails to haul in lone target
Rotowire
Wilcox drew one catchless target while playing five of the Bengals' 64 offensive snaps in Sunday's 30-27 loss to the Texans.
Cincinnati kept four tight ends active Week 10, and Wilcox ranked a distant fourth in terms of snaps. The Bengals effectively ran a three-man timeshare at the position, with Drew Sample (23 snaps) leading the group in playing time and Irv Smith (21) and Tanner Hudson (20) lagging closely behind him. Due to his status as a core special-teams contributor, Wilcox should continue to remain active on game days, but he doesn't look to be close to moving into a notable role on offense.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Handling special-teams role
Rotowire
Wilcox went without a target across two snaps on offense in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Ravens.
Wilcox has been active for both of the Bengals' first two games, but he's seen most of his work on special teams rather than at tight end. He's logged just nine snaps on offense compared to 35 on special teams and will continue to operate as Cincinnati's clear No. 3 tight end while both Irv Smith and Drew Sample are available.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Returns to Cincinnati
Rotowire
Wilcox (undisclosed) re-signed with the Bengals on Monday and was subsequently placed on the active/PUP list.
Wilcox has spent the first two seasons of his career in Cincinnati, but he wasn't tendered a contract in March and became an unrestricted free agent. However, he'll now return and likely compete for backup duties behind Irv Smith. It's not clear what injury Wilcox is dealing with, but he'll be eligible to take the field and come off the PUP list once he can pass a physical.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Moves back to No. 2 TE role
Rotowire
Wilcox played 27 of the Bengals' 65 snaps on offense and went without a target in Sunday's 27-16 win over the Ravens.
Hayden Hurst settled back in as Cincinnati's top tight end in his return from a three-game absence, resulting in Wilcox settling for a downturn in playing time as the No. 2 option at the position. While Hurst was sidelined, Wilcox offered only marginal fantasy value, as he cobbled together a 10-79-1 receiving line on 11 targets during that three-game stretch.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Season-high six catches
Rotowire
Wilcox had six catches for 35 yards in the Bengals' win over the Patriots on Saturday.
Wilcox entered the game with only 11 catches on the season, but he was active early in place of Hayden Hurst (calf) this week, as the Bengals connected on a number of early short passes. Hurst was making progress in practice this week before missing a third consecutive game - we'll see if he's available next Monday against Buffalo, or whether Wilcox will get a fourth start at tight end.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Set for another start
Rotowire
With Hayden Hurst (calf) having been downgraded to out, Wilcox is in line to start at tight end for the Bengals in Saturday's game against the Patriots, Michael Niziolek of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
It will be the third straight start for Wilcox, who caught all three of his targets for 34 yards and a TD in this past Sunday's 34-23 win over the Buccaneers while handling a 91 percent snap share. Though the 26-year-old isn't a high-percentage fantasy option in Week 16, Wilcox does offer an option to those needing to replace Hurst or otherwise seeking short-term TE help.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Handling limited role behind Hurst
Rotowire
Wilcox played 15 of the Bengals' 50 snaps on offense in Monday's 32-13 loss to the Browns, hauling in his lone target for a three-yard gain.
Wilcox has suited up for all eight of the Bengals' games this season, but his role on offense has been muted while he's served as the No. 2 tight end behind starter Hayden Hurst. The 25-year-old has cleared 50 percent of the Bengals' offensive snaps on just two occasions and has cobbled together a modest 6-47-0 receiving line on the campaign.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Returns to practice Monday
Rotowire
Wilcox (ankle) practiced Monday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Wilcox suffered a left ankle injury during the team's first preseason game and has been rehabbing since. The extent of his participation in practice remains to be seen, but even if it was in a limited fashion, it's still an upgrade from the rehab field. Drew Sample (shoulder) also returned to padded practices recently, so both tight ends could be available for a backup role behind newcomer Hayden Hurst during Sunday's season-opening matchup against the Steelers.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Won't return Friday
Rotowire
Wilcox was ruled out for the remainder of Friday's preseason matchup against Arizona after suffering a left ankle injury.
Wilcox figured to see heavy usage before having his left ankle rolled up on in Friday's game as fellow backup Drew Sample was already sidelined due to a knee injury. With Wilcox now out as well, Thaddeus Moss and Scotty Washington should see increased snaps against the Cardinals.
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Bengals' Mitchell Wilcox: Heading to Cincy
Rotowire
Wilcox signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent, per the NFL's official transaction log.
Wilcox wasn't selected over the course of the 2020 NFL Draft after recording 28 catches for 350 yards and five touchdowns in his senior year at South Florida. The 23-year-old figures to be competing for a depth spot at tight end during training camp.
