Jermaine Gresham still an option for Bengals

The first wave of free agency came and went with former Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham still on the market. The Bengals didn't make a significant run at their former first-round draft pick and current unrestricted free agent, but as the team enters preparation for the draft with the tight end position still open, Marvin Lewis didn't rule out the possibility that the polarizing player could return to Cincinnati next season.

"Jermaine could be an option," Lewis said.

Lewis offered that he speaks regularly with Gresham, who recently underwent back surgery and saw negotiations with the Raiders break off without a contract. The tight end comes with his fair share of dissenters within the Bengals' organization - stemming from inconsistent play on the field and an erratic personality off of it. His inability to play through injury on multiple occasions ruffled feathers inside Paul Brown Stadium.

Still, a possible path clears based on one specific trait of the mercurial Gresham.

"He's a man of many, many, many, many, many, many, many moods," Lewis said. "But one he's consistent with is 'I'm loyal to you, coach.' We'll see what happens."

Lewis brushed off any concern about Gresham's back surgery as an issue surrounding the chance he could still return to the Bengals. A more important element would be the lack of impact options at tight end in the upcoming draft. Plus, Tyler Eifert comes off a season consisting of eight snaps and history of injury problems.

The team re-signed Kevin Brock, and Jake Murphy spent the back of the season on the practice squad. The team never landed a blocking tight end in free agency, so beyond the few current options, little security exists.

Gresham could reprise his role. He caught 280 passes for 2,722 yards with 24 touchdowns over his four seasons in Cincinnati. Yet, he watched other tight ends on the free-agent market not only sign with other teams, but do so for lucrative contracts.

Julius Thomas (Jacksonville), Charles Clay (Buffalo) and Jordan Cameron (Miami) all signed for at least $7.5 million per season. Clay and Thomas both received $24 million in guaranteed money. Gresham may need to come to terms with far fewer dollars and weigh such a decision against comfort. Lewis said Gresham conversed with friend Michael Johnson regarding those forces. Johnson left for more money in Tampa Bay, felt in retrospect he sacrificed happiness, then returned to Cincinnati one year later.

"I had a premonition that this would occur with Jermaine because Jermaine is a homebody and they all watched what happened with Michael," Lewis said.