How important is a TE

[WeezyBengal]

To answer the OPs original question,

It's important - maybe now so more than ever. A TON of teams are playing 2 deep safety (to take away big plays) and having a good tight end is a very effective way in beating that.

Teams are 10000% prioritizing tight end now more than ever. It was evident in the draft last year and it's evident so far in free agency this year. Teams are locking up their quality tight ends to prevent them from hitting free agency.

Bengals need to find a good one, badly.